Jiaying Maki is sitting at her window, watching the rain fall outside. She's got her sketchbook in hand, but she hasn't done anything with it for a while. She keeps checking her phone, but there's nothing new there either. Slumping into her usual seat on the windowsill, she closes her eyes and works her fingers a few times, trying to ignore the blackened streaks she couldn't entirely wash away, though they are fading with time it seems.
She's got her music turned up, listening to some kind of Chinese metal. Once more, she checks her phone, sending one text out to someone, then a second text to Norie asking if she's alright.
Jiaying doesn't get a text from Lacrima. Mainly. Because phone service doesn't exactly extend into the Dusk Zone. That's where she's spent the night. She had to. Purification /does/ things to her and makes her feels things she doesn't want to feel and reminds her of her painful sad existence.
Then she hoped out of the Dusk Zone and then she went hunting, once again. She had to. Things needed replacing. Vital things. She was just on the cusp of starving. She could feel it, tingle at her futhermost senses-- that feral desire creeping in that made her wide eyed and cackling and something further inhuman than what she already was.
When that is over she returns. In a dark flash, in the middle of the room.... and then steadily wavers a bit. She blinks once. Deadpan. At the wall in front of her. No reaction. Yet. to anything.
Jiaying Maki drums her fingers when she doesn't get a reply and throws her phone onto her bed, followed by her notebook before crawling out of the window to sit on the fire escape and look out, not seeming to mind the dripping rain on her hair and ears. She's been feeling pretty guilty all night over what happened last night. She could have been faster, she could have helped out more. So many things.
Then again, that was an evil clone of a friend. She sighs and leans against the railing, right until she hears something appear in her room. She turns to look, spotting Lacrima. She hops through the window and without saying anything walks right over to her and gives her a hug
Lacrima wavers and is about to fall down, but is hugged. The hug keeps her from hitting the floor, so she is thankful for it. She's cold, as always to the touch. Moreso than usual. Then she blinks once again and then that deadness sort of fades from her eyes.
She shakes her head. "Okay...."
"I'm not... one hundred percent yet. Can you please help me over to the futon?" she asks with her usual deadpan politeness. She doesn't quite sound upset about last night, it seems. At least. Not yet.
"I'd try to float over there. But I'd probably veer into the wall." she mutters.
Jiaying Maki helps her over to the futon without question, keeping an arm wrapped around her for support until she's sitting. After, she settles down nearby and leans forward while watching her. "Are you going to be alright after though?"
She scowls and rubs the ack of her head before adding softly, "I'm sorry. It was something weird so I came to look, then there was that fake that bled-" she scowls, "Kind of like you. But, I know who the real one was and I-" she tries to think. "It reminded me of something else."
Lacrima sits down. She'll be okay. "I still need time to settle my thoughts and mind and try not to make any major decisions for the next twenty four hours. Most likely." she says. "If I act very strange. I apologize. It's a little different, everytime I come back from being hit with something that strong."
"That was Riventon-san." she says softly. "The boy there. We were trying to restore the color orange. However. Others came and screwed up the experiment." she says flatly.
"That was an energy copy of someone Riventon-san doesn't like very much but was associated with this debacle. A replacement, if you will, for what's missing." she says also flatly.
She doesn't respond to Nuwu's involvement in stopping it. It seems particularly on purpose.
Jiaying Maki leans back against the wall, where she's sitting and rests her head there. "It's okay." Is all she offers. Pulling her knees up, she rests her arms on them, then her chin on her arms. "I saw him, the one saying he was going to take all the power and other things. He seems as messed up as Sora." She's being blunt there.
Moving, resting her forehead against her arms now she adds, "She's not missing, she's in a coma. They're trying to help her. I don't want to see a friend replaced- just like I wouldn't like seeing you replaced with a knockoff."
She doesn't comment on her involvement. Originally it had been just to destroy the fake, but the sphere thing, that had seemed in a bad space really.
Lacrima frowns. "Riventon-san was born with that power. He knows it inside and out. I trust him more than I do Sora with Dark Energy." she says quietly. "Power is needed to help keep the world safe. And fix situations such as this orange situation." she says softly.
"She's in a coma? Huh. We thought she was dead." she says plainly.
She head tilts and frowns. "I'm really glad you went in 'disguise'." she says. "Riventon-san is probably going to have me work on hunting down some of those people. He also might not. It depends how he feels after he's recovered." she says softly.
She begins to blink and waver a bit and squints. ".....I have a craving for a Lychee Jelly and Pickle Sandwhich." she says, also deadpan.
Jiaying Maki shakes her head and says flatly herself, "He may know the power inside and out, but there was something off there. He reminded me of her- just... not laushing out at random."
Leaning forward, she says, "She's not dead. She's not doing well, but they're working on it. I uh, don't know when though." Running her fingers through her hair, she adds, "Controlling a color like that, infusing it with darkness. No matter what, I can't see that ending well. There's a better way to handle it, some kind of balance."
The disguise comment gets a sigh. "Don't do it. Or if you do, let me create illusions so you're not further getting yourself buried and they don't have a reason to hit you with something like yesterday. You can say you got them and it's not a complete lie then."
Lacrima frowns. "I refuse to lie to Riventon-san...." she says quietly. "I'm really sorry, Jiaying, if you do not like him. But Riventon-san was the first to understand my condition and help me." she says. "He trusts me. And that isn't something he does lightly." she says quietly.
She shakes her head. "You shouldn't defend me. It'll make you unreliable to people trying to help you." she says quietly. "You have a place to be healed now, right? I'd rather you not loose that and instead, just pull your punches if we need to fight in the future- and let me deal with the consequences of my own actions." she says silently.
She blinks. "Okay. So my oddity this time is weird food craving. Now I want brownies, but also frosted in mayonaise." she says.
She looks to Jiaying and frowns, just a little.
Jiaying Maki watches Norie from behind her arms. "I understand you don't want to lie to him, I understand why. I won't even argue against it because I'm not that hopeful." She hesitates before adding, "Be careful. I'm going to do what I have to to help."
Being told she shouldn't defend Norie gets a shake of her head. "No. I will protect you without hurting them. I would be a bad friend if I did anything at all differently." There's another beat, "I work with ghosts Norie, you've seen what they both look like without my influence. You've seen what they do without my influence. I wouldn't let them get hurt either." Which Norie may have noticed when she pulled the ghosts into her seals.
The food craving gets a confused look. "That's a new thing? The desire for those foods? As horrific as they sound in practice- I've never had brownies though. But, it's sweet and mayo and ick."
Lacrima ughs. "Like I said. It's different after everytime I come back from being purified. One time. I flirted with all the boys in my homeroom. I don't even know how to 'flirt'. I'm very glad my emotions are muted because else I'd had hid for the next two years most likely in embarassment the next day." she says flatly. "These things always pass in a day or so." she says. "As far as things go..."
"Well the after effect isn't strange." she says matter of factly.
She head tilts and frowns a little. "Right." is all she says to the rest of it as she sighs.
"I don't want you to suffer because of me. Is all." she says gently.
Jiaying Maki watches Lacrima quietly and asks, "The one you were trying to meet the other night. Cape guy. How did he become...' she scowls, "Normal's not the right word. What changed with him?" There's a hint that he may have said more than she initially let on. "I assume that's why you want to talk to him?"
Drumming her fingers on her legs, she asks, "So it disappears after a while? Has any of it ever lingered longer?" There's a beat, then she says, "Don't think I'm going to stop trying to help you or protect you. You're a friend." She points behind her, to where her shadow has extended up the wall unnaturally, "WHat is one more undead friend right?"
Lacrima head tilts. "'Cape Guy' as you put it. Kunzite." she says. "He was supposed to help me with my draining and energy usage, but he can't because of what I actually feed on." she says quietly. "The way he became normal won't work with me. He has a connection to whatever was used. Friends who care." she says quietly.
"I had to talk to him about what we found at the manor. It concerned him."
"Melanite. Was a member of an organization that he was forced to work for. The magic we found is based on some sort of magic from... 'a time before time'." she says softly. "He warned me about it's danger. He didn't demand anything of me of it. I don't think he wants anything particularly to do with it." she says.
She frowns. "I'd prefer if he did not know where we found it. To be honest. I am liking the manor very much. I feel comfortable there. Like I do at the church." she says quietly. "I would rather it not be invaded or intruded upon."
Jiaying Maki shrugs, "I know his name" she offers during that shrug before continuing, "I just try to avoid giving names unless they're already given. It makes it easier for me to lie about things. Like Sora being Shiniko." Hugging her knees at that, she adds flatly, "You do have friends that care, I can name two offhand even."
Listening to the rest quietly, she only cuts in after Norie states she doesn't want her manor intruded on. "I haven't said anything about the place, but you going in and out and renovating it, you're probably going to draw attention unless you have a way to hide it."
Lacrima frowns. "I've been keeping on the downlow, and entering and existing using the Dusk Zone." she says. "As far as anyone knows, it could be anyone." she says quietly.
"The downstairs is almost renovated. Then the upstairs. The basement. Will be saved for last. I am not sure what I intend to use it for. I may use it for personal research. I want to learn how to... research and experiment. I'm not smart. Not like Riventon-san. But there's other ways I can learn things on my own." she says.
Jiaying Maki nods to Norie, "Maybe work on a new disguise and enter it normally at reasonable times and leave for things through the Dusk Zone. That way you don't get haunted house rumors and idiot girls breaking and entering. Maybe get a newspaper delivered even."
What, she's actually somewhat smart about obfuscating sometimes. "What kind of research are you planning?" Beat, "Hey when we thought it was a nekomata, I have a question. Have you encountered any of them? I can't control the physical dead without... doing things I Don't want, but they're supposed to control corpses the way I control ghosts. Can they control you?"
Lacrima head tilts. "I'm not sure. I'm 'powerful' in terms of what I am because I have intelligence. Many things like me are snarling powerful monstrosities." she says softly. "That intelligence makes me nearly uncontrollable to others." she says. "Or so I am told." she says.
"I imagine something more powerful than me which was intelligent might manage it." she says quietly.
She head tilts. "Creatures in the Dusk Zone, primarily." she says. "That's what I wanna study." she says.
Jiaying Maki leans back again, eyes closed. "Hopefully that's true." pushing herself to her feet slowly, she takes the time to stretch out. "If someone tries, let me know. I'm going to kick them in their shins." Which is a polite way of saying she'll be angry.
"I bet you can study those things without getting yourself into trouble. Maybe we can even find a way to make your life easier and you'd be able to avoid getting hurt again."
Lacrima nods. "That's why Kunzite said I should study the crystal magic, but cautiously- that- I may find a way for it to help me. I'm going to be studying that too." she says. "I'm going to be removing the ritual circle soon. It seems to be inactive. It's not making many emissions." she says softly.
"It's been spent." she says. "So if you wish to study it further, take photos or notes while you can." she says softly. "Though I've done such extensivly per Eclipse procedure." she says softly.
Jiaying Maki shrugs, "I did the first night before things went weird when you blew that computer up." She heads over to the couch where she lounges out on it, suddenly looking tired. Maybe she didn't sleep much last night.
Glancing over at Norie, she actually looks hopeful briefly, "If you can find a way to help you, I'll do almost anything I can to help too."
Lacrima sighs. "I need to.. eat. Something. It'll probably be weird. Suddenly I just want to drink a... a glass of raw eggs with mashed potato flakes." she says. "I really hate this. I am really glad I do not actually have a stomach to churn with this." she says deadpan as she gets up and begins to walk to the kitchen, a little shakily, but she manages. "I know." is all she says, as she dissapears into the kitchen.
It's probably a good idea Jiaying is staying out here. Lord knows what she'll end up eating in her current state.