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[whatsamada]

VIDEO ⬤ AUDIO ⬤ TEXT ⬤ ACTION

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action (fougeria quest);

[fooligans]

[ After hearing a few reports from the brownies about multiple bonfires lighted up at night, Akira started to wonder what this is about. Whoever is behind this doesn't care much about not leaving any traces—at this point there are uncountable patches of burnt grass scattered all around the plains.

The boy with whom he's teamed up seems quite reliable, too. They've got this. Thankfully, it's easy enough to notice a fire around here, so when the first bonfire pops up all of a sudden, Akira points in its direction and gazes at Ken. ]

Let's see what this is about.

[whatsamada]

[Ever since Ken got here, he was curious about the combat quests. The problem was how he couldn't do it alone with his magic. Luckily, there was someone who was willing to help him out with the quest.

As he looked at the bonfire, he looked back at the older boy before giving a small nod.]

Right, hopefully we can figure out who is behind all of this. [He said before walking closer to the fire. Gripping his spear tightly, it was almost as if he was ready for an incoming attack.]

[fooligans]

[ Upon closer inspection it becomes apparent that the fire is moving and it's quite fast on top of that. ]

It's—

[ A few more steps forward make a big difference; the bonfire is shaped like a big cat which baffles Akira a little. It seems to be chasing a bird that tries to escape desperately. ]

I suppose we need to deal with it somehow...

[ Needlessly to say, he's not thrilled. ]

[whatsamada]

[Now that Ken got a better look at the fire, he couldn't help but laugh at the situation. He had his fair share of fighting shadows but knowing it was a cat behind all of this?]

I'm not sure if my abilities would work. I could try talking to the cat and see if we can tell it to stop!

[Needless to say, that's when the boy tried to talk to said fire cat] Sorry to interrupt but I think you might need to stop. You're hurting the bird!

[fooligans]

I'll be right behind you just in case.

[ He'd rather not hurt the big fire cat (just look at it), but if worse comes to worst, Akira knows that he'll have to at least fend it off.

Fougeria doesn't even take its eyes off the bird while replying to Ken: ]

That's the point! I'm going to catch it! Don't get in my way!

[ To Akira it's just a roaring sound, though. ]

[whatsamada]

Isn't there another way to get it without destroying the area?

[Was getting the bird that important? Although, he figured or else there wouldn't be a quest for this reason.

At the same time, he looked at Akira with a look that said "We are going to be here for while."]

[fooligans]

[ Akira shifts his gaze from Ken to Fougeria and back to the boy. Even if it's going to take a while, he doesn't mind as long as they can somehow prevent the fire from spreading. ]

It depends. [ So helpful. ] What are you going to give me in exchange?

[ This is just negotiations with shadows all over again. ]

3/5; action

[fooligans]

[ While Ken can hardly be considered a carefree and peppy teenager, something seems off when Akira runs into him today. Or maybe it's just his imagination? It's hard to tell, but deep inside of his mind he can sense that something isn't quite right.

This day doesn't hold any special meaning to him and yet there's no denying these sudden pangs of sadness he's been experiencing throughout the day. It's something he can't explain very well. Even now, maybe he's just simply projecting these feelings on Ken?

Either way, it wouldn't hurt to keep him company and have a little chat. ]

I guess it would be graduation season back home now.

[ Honestly, Akira doesn't even know why he said that but it sounds like a good enough conversation starter. ]

action

[whatsamada]

[Meanwhile, Ken couldn't help but give a slight wince. He didn't mean to but he couldn't help himself. After everything he had been through, this date held a special meaning to him and to hear someone say it so casually was a little off putting.

With that, he gave a small sigh as he wondered he should say something to his senpai.]

Yes, it would be and it makes me wonder a little about home.

[Although, now that he thought about it? He would be graduating middle school wouldn't he? It was all the more reason a frown appeared on his face.]

I have to admit, it does make me a little nostalgic as I would be going into high school by now.

[fooligans]

We'll go back...eventually.

[ It would sound more reassuring if he gave some kind of an estimate. Still, there's no guarantee they can do it in a few months or even in a year, so it's better to keep it vague. ]

Last year on this day I had a dream. One of the Personas I managed to summon before kept calling out to me.

[ Maybe Ken understands the meaning of this; it's definitely worth a shot. ]

[whatsamada]

[There was some hesitation from the younger boy. As he shifted his weight, he looked at the ground before sinking his head onto his shoulders. He didn't want to jump to conclusions but he couldn't help but wonder what Akira meant.]

What did that persona say?

[Although, based on how he said it, it was as if he already knew the answer. He just wanted to hear if Akira was going to confirm it or not.]

[fooligans]

Something about...

[ Akira rubs his forehead, trying to remember. It feels much harder to recall the voice without his wildcard ability here. It's similar to the feeling of having a word on the tip of the tongue and not being able to recall it. ]

A...promise? I think.

[ He's not even sure if that's helpful. ]

[whatsamada]

[All Ken could do was give a wince. He really should have known that Akira was a wildcard user and that nothing he could past him.

Mumbling to himself, he wasn’t sure if he should be honest or not.]

You’re right, there is. A promise that one should never forget as it meant a lot to me.

[Even now, after all these years, he never forgave himself for forgetting everything she did for them.]

[divinereaper]

[ continued from here! ]

That's possible! But usually people don't send love letters or anything like that unless they really feel strongly about you. So there has to be more to that than just being a soccer player. I wouldn't be surprised if some of those were admiration instead of love, though...

[ Naoto knew that school crushes rarely lasted, though. He's seen tons of rejected girls and guys in his high school. ]

[whatsamada]

[In response, Ken just raised an eyebrow at him.]

You really think so? If it is admiration, I don't mind if they're cheering me on but I can't tell if they are suppose to be flirting?

[Pause] But then again, I don't really know a lot about girls so it's just all a little strange to me.

[divinereaper]

You can usually tell when someone's flirting. [ He has a cheat in the form of his Eye, but he doesn't say that. ] If it doesn't come out in their voice, its in their eyes.

[ A small laugh. ] Learning about girls takes time. I certainly wasn't any expert. To be honest, a lot of my knowledge of love came from scrolling the internet for hours.

[whatsamada]

Is it really that simple to just know that someone is flirting with you through the internet? I heard from my friends that it requires you to know in person!

[Why was Ken getting worked up over this? He wasn't sure but he gave a mumble or two.]

Flirting really is complicated.

[divinereaper]

It really is.

[ He looks at Ken, wondering why he's all stressed about it. He might think he knows love, but in fact, he doesn't. ]

Love in general is complicated.

6/24; gift

[fooligans]

[ In the morning on the 24th, Ken might find a box wrapped in decorative paper with a red bow on top of it. There's no card attached to the box, but if Ken decides to open the mysterious package, he'll find a Feather Eagle figure in another box—the thing is, it's obvious that someone took a base figure and painted it by themselves. The paint job isn't ideal, but the character is definitely recognizable.

While there was no card present (pun intended) outside the box, there's one under the figure. ]

action (animal mage hunt)

[fooligans]

Hey, he's an animal mage!

[ Akira didn't expect such a warm welcome while stepping into a cafe. To be honest, he's not even sure how these strangers were able to tell that he knows animal magic. What he didn't notice is that one of them seems to possess a trinket that glows when there's an animal mage nearby. Definitely comes in handy in times like these, when animal mages are quite popular, alas not in a good way.

After leaping out from the building, he tries to run around and lose the group chasing him, but rather than doing that...he bumps into someone familiar.

Someone who happens to be an animal mage as well. ]

We gotta go! [ Sorry Ken, he's grabbing your arm and pulling you along. ] I'll tell you everything later!

[ On the other hand, further explanations might not be needed—the group chasing Akira is rather vocal about what their intentions are. ]

Let's catch the animal mage!!

[whatsamada]

[Meanwhile, Ken had been a little worried about his safety ever since he heard about how people were hunting animal magic users. Try as he might to keep it under wraps, he also knew it would probably be a matter of time before they found out.

However, he didn't have time to think much about it as he suddenly found himself seeing someone familiar.]

Wait, wh-

[Of course, the moment that Akira grabbed his arm, he didn't need to know what happened. As he turned around, he could see a group of people behind him. Suddenly, that's when the color on his face immediately went white before he looked at his friend.]

What do we do? We need to find a place to hide...!

[fooligans]

[ Not having to explain what is going on isn't much of a consolation in this kind of a situation. Ken's absolutely right—they need to hide somewhere, fast. While Akira considers their options and dismisses one after another, the hostile group that's chasing them seems to have grown a little. ]

Damn...

[ He'd rather not do this, but their lives might be at stake. When they're running next to a couple of trash cans, Akira knocks them over and sets the trash on fire with his elemental magic. ]

That should buy us some time...there's a cat cafe nearby.

[ Here's hoping that the staff won't let these people examine every single cat of theirs. If that's the case, it could be a nice hiding spot. ]

[whatsamada]

[The more that Ken looked behind him, the more he was scared what was going to happen. Without his Persona, there was only so much he could do. Just as he was about to think of a strategy to divert the crowd, he raised an eyebrow at Akira.]

You think that's a good idea? Wouldn't they be able to spot us?

[He didn't want to be the bearer of bad news but his anxiety was worse.]

I'm not going to lie, Akira-san, I am a little scared.

[fooligans]

[ That's a fair question—unfortunately, Akira can't give Ken a definite answer. They might have some other magical items that will allow the animal mage hunters to find them easily, even if they try to blend in with some cats. ]

It should buy us some more time, I think...I can make us some beach totems in the meantime.

[ Ironically, he's used the last one literally a few days before. ]

Unless you have a better hiding spot...I would just rather avoid getting anyone else involved.

[ Although the hunters might have bumped into Ken on their own, Akira feels bad that they found the younger boy faster thanks to him. ]

We'll figure it out, don't worry.

[whatsamada]

[It was a shame that Akira was right, there was only so much he could do. Looking around for a cafe, he gave a small nod.]

I just hope you're right about this but...I trust you.

[As he looked back him, he was still nervous. There wasn't much else he could do but to put his faith in him. But once he managed to find a certain building, he quickly pointed to it.]

There! I think I see a cafe! Let's hurry!

[He said before focusing his energy on transforming into a cat. Although, with the hunters nearby, it was difficult as he gave a mumble or two to express his frustrations.]