Meeting and Reading (Ariane)

[Marina Mikami]

It was another beautiful day in Yoyogi Park. Having no class today, Marina had decided visiting the park would be a fine time to sit, read, and enjoy the weather. Though this was also a good time to get to know someone she had just met recently. Who would have known that Anne, the kind florist she had met a few days ago was also a Persona user? It had been surprising to find out. Then again, Anne seemed to be just as surprised. Marina had decided, if their schedules permitted, today would be a good day to talk about it. And maybe after they were done with that hang out for real. After all, wasting the sunny day with downer talk about Personas and creatures from dark places would be a downer.

Marina was dressed in an outfit she normally wore. The dress was almost practically a coat, black in color, with yellow dots that looked like the buttons of a coat. It was a darker color than she usually wore, but for some reason it felt right to wear today. Of course the sleeves and collar had fur trim. The bottom of the dress did not for once though. She had on a matching cap in the same color, the rim also having a fur trim. The hat also had a golden butterfly pin, stuck on the one side of it. She had black knee high socks on that ended in a pair of boots, though the dress covered enough of her legs that it was hard to tell how high the socks went. All in all, not something someone hanging around in the park wouldn't normally wear.

As she waited for her friend to show up, Marina silently read on one of the many park benches around. She had the parasol she had been using to fight with in her other hand. It was open, helping keep the sun out of her eyes so she could read. It was a book she hadn't read in awhile and for some reason it just practically screamed "Read me!" to her as she had left. She turned another page with her thumb, keeping an eye out for Anne as she read. It most likely looked she was focused on nothing but her book to anyone walking past. She mindlessly twirled her parasol as she read, waiting for her friend to arrive.

[Ariane Ivers]

When her and the other foreigner had made the plan to meet, Anne had intended to get there early.  Honestly, she did.  The redhead had managed to get up early and everything.  The only problem was that her ferrets seemed to have other plans.  After feeding them, she got ready pretty quickly, dressed casually.  Under her usual leather jacket was a goofy printed T-shirt of a group of Marvel superheros, and jean shorts with her heavy boots.  Her hair was done mostly down, with braids to accent and style it rather than done to keep it out of her face.  After all, she wasn't planning on fighting anything today─her jacket was just worn more out of habit by now than anything.

Once she was ready, she went to get her creatures ready so they could enjoy the day too... just to see they were still curled up together asleep and hadn't even eaten their breakfast yet.  Sighing, Anne frowned at them.  "Really guys?  You both are always asking for enough food to make a pig obese, and today you decide you'd rather sleep in.  Fine, I'll give you both a few more minutes but then we're taking it with you and you can eat at the park."  Shaking her head, she trudged upstairs to get a bag ready.  Inside she packed plenty for herself and her pets at the park, including but not limited to sandwiches and chips for herself and Rini─just in case.

The fact that the other woman was a persona user as well still baffled Anne.  She didn't know why, she guessed it was just because she was the first one she had met before she knew.  It was almost unnerving when she thought about it; she knew a lot of users, but who knew just how many were out there.  Were they all nice and had everyone else's best interests at heart, or were some purposely hiding what they were for nefarious reasons?  Shuddering at the thought, she brought herself back to getting ready.  No need in fretting over that right now, anyway.

Bag ready, she went down to see that the ferrets were just now managing to wake themselves up.  Shaking her head and raising an eyebrow, Anne shrugged.  "Oh well, I guess you two can just eat when we get there.  I haven't had the chance to get you guys outside as much as I like other than just the garden, so I'm not leaving you at home."  After harnessing them up and putting their food in a container she had packed in her bag, she started out to the park.  

Thankfully it didn't take long to get there considering she didn't live too far away, and once she was there it was easy to spot her friend.  With her bag hefted over one shoulder and the ferret's leashes held in one hand, Anne waved with the other as she walked over.  "Hey, Rini!  I hope you don't mind I brought critters with me, I couldn't leave them out of a nice day like this."  Sitting down next to the other woman, Anne set her bag down on the ground and fished out the container with their food, opening it and setting it down so they could reach it.  Now that they were awake, they were certainly more interested in breakfast and happily started working on it.

[Marina Mikami]

Marina flipped another page of her book, keeping an eye out for Anne. It was odd to think that the two could be fighting for their lives one minute and then the next day hanging out and acting like normal young women. She wondered if Anne had discovered her Persona in a similar manner to her own. As well as how long she had been out there fighting Shadows. From the battle the other day, it seemed Anne had more experience with them then Marina herself did. It truly seemed anyone could be a Persona user, nothing that could immediately distinguish one from a normal person.

She was about to turn another page in her book, but she soon spotted out of the corner of her eye the friend she was waiting for. And she apparently had little friends with her as well. She closed her book and waved Anne over with a smile. As she got closer, Marina could finally tell what were on the end of the leashes. They were two adorable looking ferrets. She was just glad it hadn't been a dog. She was still trying to get over the poor zombie dog that she had encountered around here from before.

Marina shook her head when Anne asked if she minded her bringing the ferrets. "Hi, Anne! No, I don't mind. They're adorable," she told her with a smile. She watched the little guys start to chow down on some food and she couldn't help but giggle a little bit as they ate. It was so cute. "What are their names?" she asked, curious what kind of adorable names they could possibly have.

Marina put the book she was reading down on the bench to her side and closed up her parasol, not needing to block out the sunlight to read anymore. Now that Anne was here, she had a million different questions she wanted to ask. However, she wasn't exactly sure how to bring it up, all of the sudden feeling awkward about it. Maybe it would be better to let Anne ask instead? Or maybe it was better to not mention it at all? She couldn't quite make up her mind yet, so she didn't say much else. She probably looked inquisitive, but that wasn't something she could really help. She was a naturally curious person.

[Ariane Ivers]

As Rini closed her book, Anne couldn't help but glance at it curiously.  It was out of sight before she could really see the title of it, but she couldn't help but still try and see.  She hadn't been doing nearly as much reading as of late, it certainly wouldn't hurt to find a new book and Rini certainly seemed engrossed in that one before Anne approached her.  "Sorry to interrupt your reading, it looked good, I may need to get a book recommendation later."

When the blue-haired woman called the ferret's adorable, Anne laughed, "Don't let their appearance fool you, they're menaces, honest,"  leaning down, she scratched the older one's head before continuing, "Naw, they're good babies.  The older one is Rhubarb, and the younger is Plum.  I've been contemplating getting a third one, but with everything that's been going on I think that may have to wait."  At the mention of 'everything that's been going on', Anne's smile faltered.  Even though that was the primary reason for them getting together today, it still felt weird segueing into that topic.  Watching the ferrets for a moment, she finally shrugged a little and turned to face Rini.

"So," she started, lifting an eyebrow, "I'm guessing you're still pretty new to all of this nonsense, huh?  Otherwise you would've been to the meeting we gathered a while back."  Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the binder she had gotten from the mentioned meeting, now full of her own added notes and highlights.  Offering it to the other woman to glance over, she continued, "You didn't miss all that much other than food, at least nothing that I can't catch you up on.  I'm sure you've figured out from last night, but the 'weapon' you saw at the greenhouse was more than a prop.  They call it an Evoker, and can be used to force-summon your persona.  I don't really need it, but it looks neat and... well, it's better to be safe than sorry, right?  If you've seen the weird train that runs during that hour, the woman on it can give you one for free."  

Drumming a hand along the bench, she thought for a moment.  "Sorry if this is forward, but I'm always curious when I meet a new user.  I know when I realized what was going on and saw Cery for the fist time, it was hell.  What was it like for you?"  She had heard for some it wasn't quite as terrible, but for the most part the first time one awakened their persona it was rough.  Thankfully it was all in the past, but it still made her shutter just thinking about it.  Just why were almost all of those creeps so obsessed with fire?

[Marina Mikami]

Marina gave Anne a reassuring smile. "You weren't interrupting. I've read it before," she told her. Her eyes seemed to twinkle at the mention of a book recommendation. It wasn't often she got to share her thoughts on books with someone else, mostly because she still managed to read books in English. While she still preferred actual books, her kindle saw a lot of use as well. She just nodded, maybe a bit too enthusiastically, about a book recommendation. They could talk about that later.

She laughed when Anne called her ferrets menaces. Their names were just adorable too, Rhubarb and Plum. "Aww, but they look so precious!"  she said towards the little creatures much more interested in the food in front of them. "I can't imagine taking care of one pet, let alone three," she said, though also sounded a bit somber near the end. She had taken note of Anne's smile fading ever so slightly at the mention of "everything going on lately." It was what they were here to talk about, but it was odd to be talking about here in the normal world for some reason. Maybe because there was nothing around them to remind them of how strange their lives had gotten?

Marina nodded as she took the binder offered to her. She wasn't aware there had been a meeting between others like them. The others must have been at it for a decent time longer than she had. "Yeah, I haven't been doing this for too long. Even if it feels like I have," she told Anne as she focused in on what was in the binder. The other woman went on to explain a bit about what had happened, though there hadn't been much from the sound of it. She also finally got a bit of an explanation for the gun, or Evoker as she called it, Marina had seen before. Apparently, during the Dark Hour (it was nice to have a term for it now), a woman that ran the trains offered it for free. It apparently helped one to summon their Persona.

Marina thought it over as she looked over the binder some more. She didn't particularly like the idea of carrying something that even looked like a gun. She didn't say anything though, if Anne felt better having it that was her business. After a few moments of silence she then asked what it had been like to see her Persona for the first time. "It was scary....then kind of comforting?" she said after a moment, sounding a bit confused at the last bit. She turned to face Anne, the binder open on her lap. "If that makes sense. I was attacked by I don't even know what, but then I felt...something like soothing water wash over me and before I knew it the creature was gone and Apsaras was there instead," she told her as she recollected the event. Strangely, she hadn't thought about that moment for awhile now.

Marina then gave Anne a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about being forward," she told her. "I'm glad one of is willing to be. I'm typically too shy for my own good." After all in they had wanted to share information right? It was better to get it all out in the open now then hold stuff back for later. "I ran into someone else before who explained things a bit too me, so I have a bit of a vague idea of what's going on." Her face looked inquisitive again for a moment before she turned the question around to Anne. "How about yourself? How was it for you? If you don't mind talking about it?"

[Ariane Ivers]

When Anne heard that it was Rini's second time reading the book, it only made her more curious.  Of course she had plenty of her own favorite books, but few fell on her 'I'd read it again' list.  Whatever book it was that the other woman was reading, she was certainly more curious about now.  Still, as she had already said, there would be plenty of time to exchange book recommendations as they talked.

Glancing down towards the aforementioned menaces, Anne laughed.  "Yea, they are pretty precious.  Still though, I have things that've been missing for months and they keep getting better and better at hiding their hoard.  Thankfully nothing important, at least."  When she sounded almost a little upset at the idea of having multiple pets, Anne shrugged awkwardly.  "It's not so bad.  You find a way to make time for them, and ferrets do better in groups than by themselves anyway...  Did you know a group of ferrets is called a 'business'?  As in, a business of ferrets?"  Her eyes practically sparkled as she said that, having always been thoroughly amused by this tidbit of information.

While Rini went through the binder of information, Anne fidgeted quietly.  The ferrets had finished eating and were now tumbling through the grass together as far as their leashes would allow, offering her a distraction to look at.  While she didn't mind one bit helping the other woman learn more about everything, she was suddenly struck with slight anxiety over all of her own goofy hand written notes that she had also tossed in there to keep them moderately organized.  Glancing back when Marina spoke up, she chuckled, "Yea, that feeling only gets worse.  It ends up being this... weird combination of feeling like it's been forever and being shocked that so much time has gone by.  At least it definitely looks like you've gotten the swing of things pretty well!"  The last part was meant to try and help boost moral, but also the truth.  From what little Anne saw, it certainly looked like Rini had been able to hold her own for being so fresh.

Listening to the other woman's story of discovering her own Persona, Anne found herself looking off into the distance again.  It certainly sounded like everyone had their own, different stories.  Giving a sort of half shrug, Anne nodded.  "I don't mind talking about it at all.  It wasn't so different for me.  I had been having these crazy migraines for weeks, and when I went for a walk to clear my head I got jumped by some sort of bird-shadow.  I was terrified, but suddenly... I don't even know how to word it.  It was like I was more mad at being attacked than scared, and didn't want to run.  I felt this warm strength, like a powerful adrenaline rush kind of, and then Cery was there and got rid of the bird."  It was the first time Anne had recounted her awakening to anyone else, but it felt good, like sharing something she had been itching to get out in the open.

As Rini assured her it was okay to be more forward, Anne laughed lightly.  "Well, if you're sure.  Hey, I don't mind being the annoying one if you'd like, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.  I may not have the answer, but I'll try my best."  Tilting her head for a moment, she scrunched her brow.  There were quite a few other users, sure, but she felt like not a whole lot of them were usually very forthcoming with information.  "Oh?  I wonder who it was.  I know I talked over it with a couple people already, but I haven't had a chance to talk one on one with very many others yet."

[Marina Mikami]

Marina smiled towards the little ferrets. "Is that true? Do you take things that don't belong to you? What do you do with them?" she asked the adorable little creatures. They seemed more interested in playing with each other at the moment then anything she had to say. She didn't mind though, it was entertaining watching the two interact with each other. She then turned towards Anne as she spoke. She giggled when told that a group of ferrets was called a business. "You look like you've been waiting forever to tell someone that," she teased. "However, that is one of the most adorable things I've heard."

She then forced a smile when told she had handled her own back during the Dark Hour. From the sound of it Anne meant it as a compliment. Marina understood that, but she didn't like all the fighting. She didn't like the idea of actively searching out the creatures to get stronger. She would defend herself though, as long as she had the power to do so. "Thank you, but I don't like the idea of fighting," she told the other woman with a bit of a frown. "I'd much rather figure out what's going on then have to fight monsters and demons on a regular basis." A look of determination then appeared on her face. "However, I will help if I have the power to do so. As long as I do, I can't ignore what's happening."

She then listened intently as Anne told her story about when her Persona awakened. It was somewhat similar to her own. She wondered if that's how most everyone else's awakenings happened. She just nodded in understanding once Anne finished telling it. There really wasn't much else to ask. although she was curious what made the two of them special enough to not be in one of the coffins and have a Persona awaken. She doubted there she would receive an answer to that anytime soon.

Marina laughed a bit at Anne saying she didn't mind being the annoying one. "You're not annoying," she told her then grinned. "At least not yet." A light tease she hoped Anne didn't take too seriously. "I appreciate it though. I think most of my question are things no one quite has an answer for yet though." She then heard Anne's question of who she had encountered before. She tilted her head for a moment as she thought about the man that had saved her life before. "Another American. His name was Fredrick Cooper, goes by the nickname of Riki. Which is adorable," she said after a moment, grinning at the mention of his nickname. "He saved my life in the Dark World version of this park. Apparently my Persona doesn't like lightning. I got hit by some and was badly injured. He helped me get out of there," That reminded her, she still needed to visit his shop sometime.

[Ariane Ivers]

Laughing as the other woman spoke to the ferrets, Anne smiled.  She talked to them all the time too, and the longer she's had them the more she could picture their responses.  Sure it was a little crazy, but wasn't any pet owner in the end?  "They take them and horde them away, the little brats.  It's hysterical when you find it and take everything out of it, they get so offended and start dragging it all back.  You can't even be mad at them, it's too cute."  Ane's lips curled up in a silly grin, "I may have.  Not many people seem to know that, and it's a tragedy!"  At the last words, she dramatically feigned shock and shook her head, holding a hand to her chest.

Her tone instantly turned somber when Marina spoke, her brows furrowed as she looked back towards the ferrets for something to focus on.  What she said hit home, and she wasn't sure what she thought about that.  She said she didn't like fighting, and to back that fact up she had means to buff people.  Sure, Anne technically did too, but that was only because she was able to make herself more agile first.  Other than that, all she was good at was beating the shit out of things.  Just what did that say about her?  Here Marina was able to help out others and wanted to avoid fighting at all costs, while Anne constantly went in fists blazing.  If it wasn't for her jacket, Anne's fists would be constantly split and bruised, even with the leather wraps.  Her expression was lost in thought as she pondered that, but chose not to reply.  She didn't want to.  She was afraid of what it would reveal.  Fighting demons for the rest of her life certainly didn't sound appealing, and she wanted answers more than anything, but... she didn't exactly hate fighting, either.

Shaking her head out of her thoughts as she pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear, she smiled weakly to Marina as she assured her she wasn't annoying.  "Darn," she snapped her fingers jokingly, "I guess I'm not trying hard enough.  I'll have to step up my game."  Nodding, she sighed, "Yea, I've got more than my fair share of those questions too.  I've been doing about as much digging as possible to find something of use, but... well, even though you'd think we know where to look I haven't been able to find a damn thing."  At the mention of the other american, Anne quirked an eyebrow, "Oh?  Yea, I've seen him around.  Don't think he cares much for me," she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.  "I accidentally teased him about how he acted during a couple big fights.  I was just picking, I didn't mean anything by it, but I think he took it personally.  Don't know for sure, but the last couple times we happened across one another against some of the creeps, he didn't stay around for very long after the bad guys were gone."  

Anne nodded sympathetically at her weakness to lightning, "I know that struggle.  For me it's fire, which... makes sense."  She trailed off a bit at the end, clearing her throat before changing the subject, "But, hey, at least it's balanced out with a strength.  As you get stronger, I think your defenses get better too.  Worked like that for me, anyway, and the less we get hurt the better."

[Marina Mikami]

Marina couldn't help but laugh at the image of the two cute little ferrets upset that their hoarded piles of objects being disturbed and even attempting to drag the items back. "That sounds too adorable for words," she said with a huge grin. "Must be hard work to own a ferret, let alone two." She then laughed again as Anne dramatically claimed it was a tragedy that not everyone knew her little factoid about ferrets. "Well one more person knows now. Maybe you should go hijack a broadcast and inform the world," she teased. Anne seemed to really appreciate her ferrets. She could see why, they were quite adorable more than she had ever thought before.

Marina took note of Anne's silence as she explained how she didn't like fighting. She tilted her head a bit as she wondered why she was suddenly quiet. Had she somehow made her feel bad by accident? She frowned at the thought, she hadn't meant too. However, if Anne didn't want to bring it up, Marina wouldn't either. She wasn't exactly sure what to say to make her feel better. Plus, the silence had gone on too long and it was awkward enough as it is. Better to say nothing for now.

She returned her smile as Anne joked she had to try harder at being annoying. "Please do," she teased with a small giggle. Honestly though, Marina doubted the other woman could get to a point where she would find her annoying. She was too nice, or at least had been to her so far. She just seemed to be a little too hard on herself. She then nodded in understanding as Anne explained her frustrations with not having been able to find many answers. "Its only a matter of time before we find some kind of answer," she reassured. "At least, that's what I'd like to believe."

Marina wasn't too surprised to hear Anne had met Riki before. Though she was surprised to hear Anne say that she thought he didn't like her. Riki had been nothing but a gentlemen to herself. "It must be a misunderstanding," she reassured Anne. "He's got a cafe over in Akihabara. We should go over there sometime. Figure this all out," she then gave Anne a teasing grin. "Maybe try and guilt him into giving us a free meal," Though she said that, Marina doubted she could actually do that to him, after having saved her and all. She then tilted her head as Anne explained how fire was her weakness, saying it made sense. There was something more there, but Anne clearly did not want to talk about it and Marina wasn't about to pry. Though it was interesting to hear how as they got stronger so did their defenses. That was always a plus. She nodded in agreement. "Da, agreed," she told her. Then she realized Russian had escaped her lips again and she blushed a bit in embarrassment.

[Ariane Ivers]

"It really is, one day if you'd like you can come over and I'll see if I can't uncover their horde," Anne replied.  Usually it wasn't too hard to find where they stashed things if you watched close enough while they were out of the cage.  The problem was they were sneaky little buggers.  When she commented on them being hard to take care of, Anne shrugged.  "It's not too bad, all in all.  For the trouble they may be, it's totally worth it."  As though on cue, Rhubarb dashed over with Plum close on her heels and scratched at Anne's boot.  Bending down, she picked the two up and set them in her lap, where they happily snuggled up for the moment.  Laughing, Anne nodded.  "Maybe I should.  Or maybe I'll start a blog; 'Crazy Ferret Lady, giving you your daily random ferret factoid.'"

At the very least, Anne was very grateful that Rini didn't pry, in both scenarios.  The tension she hadn't realized she'd been holding in her shoulders relaxed, and she scratched absently behind Plum's tiny ears. She didn't mean to be so guarded, honestly she didn't even realize they did.  In the back of her mind, she resolved to tell her all about her crazy.  Someday, at least.

Grinning a goofy grin again, she nodded.  "Alright, it's a challenge then."  She didn't plan on actually being annoying, but she could be obnoxious sometimes too if she wanted to be.  Nodding thoughtfully, the redhead smiled as she looked over to Rini.  She was certainly optimistic, and that was a good thing.  With hell breaking loose, they all needed a little optimism.  "I'm sure you're right.  We can't be going through all of this and not get any answers at all, at any rate.  If something big happens again soon, maybe at least something would be answered.  While I'm not particularly looking forward to all that much excitement, if it helps us learn something then I'm all for it."

When she commented it was probably a misunderstanding, Anne nodded.  "I certainly hope so, I'd feel bad if I actually got under his skin.  Sometimes I have a tendency to talk before thinking, and it always gets me in trouble."  Tilting her head at the mention of a cafe, she continued, "Oh?  That sounds pretty awesome, and I'm never one to turn down food.  Especially possibly free food."  Even though they joked, considering Anne already felt bad about picking on the guy she wouldn't think about trying to strong arm him into giving her food, too.  Who knows, maybe going to give him some business would help make him forgive her, if he really was mad.  

Her little vocal slip almost went right over Anne's head.  It was when Rini seemed embarrassed that Anne registered it wasn't just a dialect choice.  While it made sense since she had mentioned her mom being Russian, it was still impressive.  "Was that Russian?  Is it safe to assume that means you know three languages?  Man, that's pretty frigging cool.  My mom never got around to teaching me French, other than some random phrases here and there," Anne remarked, nodding her approval.

[Marina Mikami]

Marina smiled and nodded in agreement. "That sounds like it would be entertaining," she told her when she suggested heading over to find one of the little ferrets' piles. She watched Anne pick them up and put them in her lap, and couldn't believe how even more adorable they looked snuggling up together. She seriously thought she might just die from how adorable the two animals were. At the very least, they sounded like fun pets to have. She laughed when Anne suggested starting a blog giving out random ferret factoids. "You might want to start that soon then, someone might beat you to the punch," she teased.

She then grinned back at Anne as she accepted a challenge to be more annoying. It was nice to be talking about silly things with someone. It had felt like it had been a long time since Marina had that with another person. It was a nice change of pace for once, even if they were still talking about serious things as well. She then nodded again at Anne's next words. She didn't exactly like the idea of "something big happening" but understood that it was likely they wouldn't learn anything new otherwise. As long as they were able to keep people from getting hurt, that's what mattered.

She nodded some more as Anne expressed her hopes that it truly was a misunderstanding. From Marina's previous meeting with Riki, she had a feeling that was the case. There was no way a gentleman like that would be mad over something silly. At least Anne seemed willing to go to his cafe. "It's called The Grand Texan, if you're ever over that way," she told her. "I'm sure we can get this cleared up. If we're all trying to help, we should all be on the same page, right?" After all it would be better for all of them to get along so they could work together better.

Marina slowly nodded at the confirmation that she had just spoken some Russian. She wasn't embarrassed so much by speaking it, but the reason why and having to explain that. "I only know bits and pieces of Russian," she said after a moment. "When I was little, I pretty much only said yes and no in Russian, because the words were more fun to say." Her cheeks flushed redder as she explained. "Sometimes it slips out since I got too used to it. Pretty silly, huh?" After having gotten the explanation out she then turned it around on Anne. "So...French? That sounds like it would be fun to learn, even if its only a little bit,"

[Ariane Ivers]

Eyes glittering as she smiled, Anne responded cheerfully, "Let me know when you want to come over and I'll tidy up then.  I may even make something to eat, then.  Which reminds me..."  Bending over towards her bag, Anne pulled out two paper bags, handing one to the other woman.  "I wasn't sure if you had food too or not, so I made lunch for both of us just in case.  It's not much, just sandwiches and some chips, but if you're hungry you're welcome to one of them."  Setting her own bag next to her, she pulled out her sandwich.  She hadn't eaten breakfast herself, and was certainly feeling it.  When she heard the thought of someone stealing her new idea, Anne gasped in faux offense.  "That would be rude of them, wouldn't it?  You're right, I really should.  I'll stay for now, but as soon as we're done I think I'll hurry home to do that."  She winked, sticking her tongue out slightly.  

Listening quietly while Rini spoke, Anne took a nibble out of her own sandwich.  Chuckling a bit, she shook her head.  "I can't say I'm all that surprised at the name of his place.  But hey, at the very least it makes it pretty noticeable, right?  You're right, we should be all on the same page.  I had no idea he owned a cafe, or I may have checked it out and tried to apologize earlier."  She made a mental note of the name, deciding that if Marina and herself never went together than she would at some point herself.  She still felt pretty bad for making him uneasy by picking on him.

Anne shrugged and nodded at Rini's explanation for how much she knew of Russian.  That wasn't a terrible reason, all in all.  After all, that was the main reason Anne spoke what little French she knew.  Sometimes speaking just a few words in another language made one feel pretty darn proud of themselves.  "Hey, there's nothing wrong with that," she responded, "growing up I would say random French any chance I could.  I'm pretty sure nine times out of ten it didn't actually fit with what I was trying to say, either, but dang if I didn't amuse myself with it."   She shook her head, smiling, "I don't think it's silly at all.  It's actually pretty endearing, if anything."  With the question spun around at her, Anne shuffled slightly in embarrassment.  "Yep, French.  Not as exciting as Russian, I know, but my Mom grew up in France and still knew a bit of it.  My name itself is French, after all.  I didn't pick up more than the most common of phrases, though.  I wouldn't be opposed to finishing up what I've learned; I could imagine being trilingual would be pretty useful."  Nodding thoughtfully, Anne took another bite out of her sandwich.  "What about you?  Have you ever thought about finishing learning Russian?"

[Marina Mikami]

Marina tilted her head in confusion as Anne reached into her bag. Two paper bags were pulled out of it and she was handed one. Apparently Anne had brought some sandwiches and chips for them. That was sweet of her. She felt a little bad that she hadn't thought of bringing any food to share herself. "Aw, thank you. You didn't have to do that," she told her as she grabbed the sandwich out of the bag. "Yes, I think it would be lovely to visit some time. And who can say no to a free meal?" she teased before taking a bite out of the sandwich. It was delicious. She couldn't help but smile as she ate. She was lucky she managed to swallow before laughing at Anne being fake offended. She returned Anne's wink and stuck out tongue with her own. "Better give me the link. I'll be on the lookout for it," she teased.

She nodded in agreement when Anne said she wasn't surprised by the name. It probably really did stand out in a place like Tokyo. Which probably helped draw in customers for Riki. She nodded some more as Anne agreed they should all be on the same page. "Yes, let's go some time and check it out. At the very least he probably makes very different food than what's normally around," she told Anne. It honestly sounded like it might be fun.

While still a bit embarrassed, Marina appreciated Anne telling her it was endearing instead of silly. "Thank you," she managed to say as her face turned redder. When she was growing up, usually people made fun of her for it. It was nice for someone to call it endearing for once. Anne talked about wanting to learn more French at some point and then asked her if she would ever want to learn more Russian. "Sometimes," she answered after a moment. "It gets harder to learn as you get older though." Though she understood wanting to learn more French. "French is plenty exciting though! After all its the language of looove," she told Anne, her eyes suddenly looking wistful. She always was a bit too much of a romantic for her own good. "I bet all the boys are attracted to the French accent if they catch you saying anything," she lightly teased. She herself wouldn't mind learning a bit of the language. It sounded like it could be fun and interesting.

[Ariane Ivers]

When Rini seemed happy from the offered lunch, Anne couldn't help but beam happily.  "It wasn't a problem at all!  I was making one for myself anyway, so I didn't see the harm in making an extra just in case.  Anytime you'd like to, just let me know!  I may not be the best of cooks but eh, I manage."  Laughing alongside her at the mention of letting her know about the blog, Anne nodded.  "If I ever get around to making it, you will be the very first to know.  Promise."

When they agreed to check out Fredrick's restaurant someday, she smiled.  "It sounds like a plan!  I haven't gone out to eat for more than fast food in ages.  It'd be a nice change if nothing else."  Rini went on to mention Fredrick probably making something different than what was usually found around here.  That certainly made sense, not only by the name of his place but with what very little she had seen about him so far too. "That's a very good point," she agreed with a nod, "With luck it with would be a nice taste of home.  I hadn't been back to New York in about four years, and while America may not have the best of food, I still miss it from time to time."

It seemed her comment only seemed to fluster Rini, and Anne felt guilty.  Still, it was all in good fun.  As she went on to talk about learning a language, she nodded somberly.  "That's very true.  Thankfully there's plenty of tools at our disposal for learning languages.  We just gotta try making use of them."  Suddenly, what teasing Anne felt bad about moments ago Rini sent right back her way.  She couldn't help but laugh loudly, shaking her head.  "You're right, or so they say.  And if I had one, I'm sure they would.  Although I probably wouldn't even notice, to be honest, I can be kinda a ditz when it comes to that sort of thing."  This time it was Anne's turn to turn a light shade of pink, a little embarrassed.  Over the years she just never really had the time for all of that, and these days increasingly less so.

[Marina Mikami]

Marina gave a soft smile and took another bite out of the sandwich. 'I'll have to return the favor sometime as well," she said after swallowing food. "I'm not the greatest of cooks either, but I know enough to make a few things." She didn't cook too often lately though. That's what happened when schoolwork and now fighting monsters took up a lot of her time. She laughed along with Anne about her proposed ferret blog, as she was reassured she would get the link if it was made.

She laughed again at the mention of not really going out and having anything more than fast food. "I know what you mean. Feels like its been forever since I last went out to a restaurant," she said in agreement. "I do look forward to eating something from back home. I really miss a good cheeseburger, feels like its been a long time since I had one." While there were fast food places, like McDonald's, that had some it just wasn't the same. She was glad Anne had brought food. All this talk about food from back home would have made her really hungry.

Luckily enough, it was Anne's turn to have a shade of red in her cheeks. Anne explained how she didn't have a boy at the moment and was a bit clueless when it came to that sort of thing. It was cute, though she sympathized. Marina never had the best of luck in that department either. She was too much of a romantic to even really go for a relationship, her expectations maybe just a tad unrealistic. "Nothing wrong with that," she reassured her. "I haven't had the best of luck in that department either," She gave her a playful wink. "Too much of a romantic for my own good," she told Anne. "Just got to hope the right person is out there somewhere right?"