To say that Takashi Agera had been blowing up Hannah's phone since he got control of himself the night of the dance would be an understatement. Not willing to discuss anything over texts, he just wanted to make sure they could meet up sometime soon. So after class, they took a short walk towards the Midori-Ya cafe for a long talk about a whole lot of things.
Takashi shifts in front of Hannah to push the door open for her like a reasonable gentleman. She probably has, with the whirlwind of rumors, some idea of at least one of the topics on order today. "Sorry for being such a whirlwind of panic." he says, honestly. "There's a lot going on up here." he says, tapping his head with his free hand.
Takashi generally seems to come across as either controlled and calm, or just straight angry. Seeing him blow up her phone like a worried Mamoru is deeply concerning, and so she's over for the walk within minutes.
Sadly, she has an idea or two about what he might want to talk about. Concern is visible on her face after coffee and pastries are acquired.
"Hey, hey, don't worry about it. We all get like that sometimes." Comes Hannah, trying to brush it all off.
"Still, it's unusual for you. Lay it on me Ta-kun, what all is troubling you?"
Takashi takes a huuuge breath as they sit down in a corner booth with their coffee and pastries. He also takes a drink of his before he begins.
"Okay so I guess I should start at the begining. The real begining, not the one I can tell anybody else. Hell, if I could tell anybody else, I'd probably have done so. But I've been running experiments." The idea that Takashi's problems all stem from Experiments is probably not a surprising one. "On myself, on that energy I always have. I'm sure you've felt it, especially when I'm fighting. The fact that I'm..." there's a pause, he eats a bit of pastry, he waits, collects himself. "You know, as much youma as people." This isn't in any way, technically true, but it gets the point of his own little personal contamination across.
"I've always thought it was a unique strength I had, that would take me all the way. But I also saw how that same energy can change how people act. It can change their personalities. So I wondered if it might be doing the same to me - might have been doing it this whole time. So... I exprimented. I removed some."
As Takashi begins to speak, Hannah raises a brow. "Something like that. Was a little creepy at first." Admits the woman, otherwise staying silent. Everything about him has always involved experimentations. And really, she can't help but respect him for his dedication.
And then he really gets into it. Change their personality? It's hard to see how the man could be any different, but the implications come to her quickly.
"So you removed some of it, huh? Then...what did it do to you?" Blink.
"Is that why you were so, uhh, panicky earlier?"
She tries to reel in her worry here, but doesn't quite manage it, instead hiding her face with coffee and pastry. Nom nom nom.
"Well - as an example - you blast somebody with negative energy, you infect them with it, it changes them. They get depressed, or hostile, or malicious - you hit them with enough of it, as I found out the other day, and they turn into a monster themselves. But... I also saw somebody push it back out of them, and they went back to normal." Takashi adds.
"But I always thought I was different, because it never seemed to affect me, really." This isn't specifically true, but it's a general idea that Takashi can handle negative energy in ways others don't seem to be able to. "I had a thought - maybe it's because it's been affecting me all the time."
There's a little pause there. Another pastry vanishes. "I think I was right, too. I've been acting differently, feeling differently. But I couldn't be sure. That's not good science. You have to run an experiment against a baseline. I wanted something I had done before, that I could do again, and see the difference. So... I had danced with Madoka-ch..." he stops himself. "Kaname-san at the WPS ball, and I figured I could dance with her again here. Similar experience, only change was me."
"and well, since you're blind and not deaf, I guess the rumors have probably told you how all of /THAT/ went."
Hannah looks taken aback for a moment.
"Really? You can turn people into youma by..." She actively shudders there, no doubt imagining all sorts of scenarios where Ao-chan is subjected to that very fate.
"Hmm. That definitely seems like it needs more looking into." Immediately, she's thinking of her newest employee.
But back to the topic at hand, and she nods.
"Makes sense, really, if your emotions were being dampened all the time."
Hannah runs a hand through her hair with a sigh. Oh yes. She heard. Really, it's amazing Takashi came away from it all without any bullet holes in him courtesy of one Homura Akemi.
"Yeeeah, I did. Part of me is sad I missed it. The rest of me is glad I wasn't anywhere /near/ that nuclear ball of emotions. I mean really...spiked punch, and you...how /did/ you break that table?"
A shake of the head.
"Not important! Is anyone worth caring about dead from the whole thing? And are you in one piece?"
"In my defense, I neither spiked the punch nor drank any. I got close and Axion warned me about the contents." he adds, with a grin. "I don't think Ma...Kaname-san did, either." Damn, he's STILL doing that.
"Nobody's dead - yet - but think I was so upset about what happened it spilled over into my familiar." he adds, honestly. "I'm in as many peices as I've ever been, I think. But I'm very confused. About everything."
"I broke that table by throwing it. I wasn't even in henshin, or anything - no magic there. Just emotions. I can't possibly express to you how upset I was when Akemi stepped in between us." He doesn't do her the justice of even a basic honorific. And then, that's when he carefully, lowly admits. "I was going to kiss her. I wanted to, I mean. Not out of a plan, or manipulation, either. It just happened?" he adds, obviously confused. "And there was something I dunno. Something special. Madoka-chan was special." He doesn't even try to fix the name or honorific this time. "And I have so many questions. Not ones you can answer, just questions about me. How I was feeling. When Akemi asked me what I thought I was doing, I asked myself the exact same question. In a less hostile tone, of course. And that, and a lot of other questions, are things I'm still trying to figure out? What makes her special to me?"
"And... why do I feel the same way about you now, sitting across from..." Takashi stops. Blinks. And suddenly grabs the largest pastry he can and forces it into his mouth. And looks at Hannah as if it say 'sorry, can't talk, mouth full of pastry.' It is the worst panic-dodge he has probably ever done.
Then, suddenly, as if to change the subject "and anyways, why did you tell Gull-Chan to ambush me for a date?" His face is trying to look stern. It's a very poor job he's doing. Because subject change for a moment!
Arms cross, and Hannah nods sagely.
"Your restraint is admirable, Mister Agera! /I/ would have downed the entire bloody thing!" Boasts the girl proudly. Bad decisions, your name is Hannah Sharpe.
For once, she feels utterly out of her depth. Perhaps all she can do is listen and try, and so she tries.
"So you got angry enough that Fox-chan got spill over after you got your kiss swiped." It's not a condemning tone, simply Hannah framing the whole thing. There's the tiniest of little smirks.
"Heh, out of any girls, I could see why you'd choose her. She really /is/ special. I feel it too, Takashi-kun. So, don't get /too/ bent out of shape about it. Still, hold onto those feelings, okay? They're good for you, believe it or not. Anger can be a weapon. And caring about other people can be a real strength too." A small sigh.
"And you're right, looks like you have a lot of things to figure out, my friend. Here's my advice: lay off so much dark energy for a bit. Keep running tests on yourself. And figure out the answers to who you are underneath that magic. Knowing that might just save you if you ever hit rock bottom. You need a solid foundation to build a house, right?"
And then he's saying something, she blinks, and the blind girl /stares/ at him. Surely...surely he didn't just mean that...
Hannah Sharpe blushes pink to her neck. Cough! She devours coffee at an indecent rate, crossing her legs and fidgeting. Things just went to awkward town.
Is that a...smile that can be seen hidden barely by that coffee cup!?
"Wh...wait, ambush? Hold up, she actually /asked/!?" Her jaw drops in amazement.
Gulp. Oh snap. What have you done, Hannah-chan!?
She applies palm to face.
"I didn't think she'd /ambush/ you! I was thinking more like 'Oh, takashi-kun, can you go on a date with me?' not 'corner in a back alley and demand a date'!" Pause.
"I'll admit, I'm part to blame here. Okay, a lot to blame. But to think she'd actually get up the gall to do it? Heh. Good going Gull-chan!" Grin! She seems horribly happy for her friend.
A sigh. "Still, sorry for her throwing herself at you like that. I told her because she seemed to like you, and frankly, someone to get you out of that lab every now and then so you can live a little would do you some good."
"Yeah, the last time I was angry, and really USED it, I think I knocked an enemy combatant into another postal code." He doesn't mention it was Suit-guy.
Then, Takashi looks over at Hannah. "Well you know if you thought that I needed to get out of the lab more, you could've done so yourself." he says, pointing to the Eclipse Phone. "You've kinda got me on speed dial. And the issue is, she's crushing on /Riventon/ - she doesn't know who I am. She conned a date out of me. We're going in henshin." he adds.
But that reminds him of a problem, a big problem. "Akemi is your employee, isn't she. Look. She cannot.... she cannot find out what I actually do - who I am - who Riventon is. I don't know what her connection to Madoka is - but I presume you do, because I know how you would interact with your employees. I'm not asking you to tell me." he says, very clearly.
"But if she finds out, Madoka will find out. And I don't think I want that. I thought about asking you to try to soften Akemi towards me, but you know too much about me, I think, for you to do that in good faith. I'm sure she's your friend, too." he adds, leaning back, shrugging a bit.
"But, please continue to keep that secret if for no other reason than I don't think it'd be good for your business if this devolved into all-out war, and the way she looked at me last night - she threatened me. I almost took her up on it. It came very close. I am reasonably sure I would've been aiming to kill her. All over this one girl."
He sighs. "I wasn't so ready to unleash myself since the time the Mitakihara General tried to eat you." he adds, recalling the monsterous witch. "And then you turned into some sort of... I dunno." then he stops. "You didn't give Akemi any of those little toys, did you?" he asks, one eyebrow raising.
Those cheeks of hers color again.
"M...me!?" That's an odd reaction from Hannah.
"Oh come on, you hate sports don't you? I'd just be boring you, and I don't like boring people I care abou..." It's Hannah's turn to open mouth insert pastry. It's a bit like watching a wolf eat. A very, very embarrassed wolf.
She leans back suddenly. "Though that dinner /was/ nice." Smile.
And then the full horror of it all dawns on her. Cue head back into both hands.
"I am an idiot." /Sigh/.
"Well, if you have to, just let her down gentle okay?"
Homura. Wince.
But she sobers a bit, and nods.
"That girl keeps a lot to her chest, but I have a few ideas. We understand each other. So of course. My lips are sealed. She knows I work with you, and she /knows/ how I am about not spilling secrets. Even putting a few bullets in me won't get your identity out of me, Ta-kun! On Ao-chan." She reaches over, trying to find his hand, and squeezes with that self-assured smile that she's always had.
"And besides, Madoka is a cute kid, her finding out would put her through a lot of pain. So don't worry about that end, worry about what you want to do about Homura. I'd /appreciate/ it if you wouldn't kill her, but hey, if you two don't hash all this out yourselves, then nothing's going to really get solved. So do what you have to."
Another exhausted sigh.
"Ugh, how do I end up with friends who always fight. It's middle school all over again!" Laments Hannah before perking up.
"Nah, Homura...well, I don't think she ever liked them in the first place. Don't worry, I've got them locked up tight in case they ever come in handy again."
Takashi shrugs. "I'm not sure where you ever got the idea I don't like sports. Especially, oh, I dunno, kickboxing. Two people, trying their hardest to overcome each other and claim victory? There's almost a poetry to it." He watches Hannah at the pastry - and then realize what she's done.
"You're lucky - or Gull's lucky - I'm in the middle of this experiment. Calling me up on a rooftop alone; it wasn't smart." he says, plainly. "But then again, I guess she's not the only one who's done things that weren't smart based off emotions." He's not really sure if he likes that part of the experiment. "I'll be nice. She hasn't attacked me, I won't attack her. Maybe the date will still be fun, or something."
"Hey, I wouldn't be fighting with Homura if she wasn't in my way. You know how these things go. She just has a habit of doing it. In henshin, out of henshin. It makes her hard to get along with, you know." he says, bluntly. "And she's convinced I'm a jerk. So she wants to keep me away from Madoka-chan. Which, I guess, I am. But I'm not trying to be a jerk to Madoka-chan..." this is true now. It hasn't been in the past. He's all but blocked out the fact he literally attempted to kidnap her.
"Ugh, she said some things about what I've done..." his face falls. "I've not done a good enough job of keeping the two mes seperate." he adds. Then. Slowly. There's a smile creeping across his face. It's the kind of smile he gets when he's thinking of a plan or an idea. Hannah knows the smile. "...hmmmm" he muses, drinking the last of his coffee.
Blink. "But...I...I see." The more he talks, the more Hannah is smiling. Indeed, the young woman looks almost bouncy as he sings the praises of her favorite sport!
"Then once my ribs heal up, you'd better be at my next match!"
He won't hurt her. Good. Though part of her knows Gull needs more experience, the rest of her relieved.
"Disaster averted. I don't think she will, as long as you don't do anything like...well, the usual in front of her. I owe you one, Ta-kun."
On Homura, she chuckles.
"Yeeeeah, that's exactly her. I know, I know. It's all like this gigantic snowball. See Kyou-chan and me." A frown at the memory of it all, and what it's evolved into.
"I believe you." She says simply to Takashi, reaching over and patting him on the shoulder.
Oh god. She knows that smiles. She /knows/ the sound of his musing.
"Tell me you saved some of that punch. Because I think I'm going to need it. What are you thinking?" There's this note of dread in her voice.
"I've been at every match, since we've met you know." Takashi replies, honestly. "I helped you with the thing under the Gym, I just had to do it subtly. I didn't want to add even more chaos to an already hectic situation by showing up." he adds, reaching behind his head and making horns with his fingers. "They'd have stopped fighting the monster to fight me, or thought it was my doing."
When Hannah says she believes him, that gets a genuine smile. "I'm glad somebody does. Really it's just you and Ayana that know all the bits about me. Not many people I can talk to."
At Hannah's questions about his plan, he just smiles cryptically. "Well, it makes a lot of sense. I'm not acting like myself - not in the sense of the self that people know. So I need another self who acts the way I am now. Who acts the way I do around Madoka-chan. Someone who she can not be afraid of. Someone to throw a curveball at Akemi - keep her off the trail. Someone I can have show up without having everybody turn on me." he is being cryptic, and trailing off a bit now, but his eyes are sparkling with that same feeling of an idea building itself in his mind.
"You have?" Comes Hannah, honestly surprised, and a bit touched at the thought. Then she can't help but laugh.
"I really /am/ blind, aren't I? Yeesh. You really are sneaky. Oh well, that can be attractive, you devilish rogue you!" Cue a light kick under the table!
"You've earned yourself a reputation my friend." She sounds almost proud here.
"Heh, well, everyone needs someone, right? And there's good points to you too. You made a cute fox, too, so that's great! We should all have dinner some time."
Hannah holds up a hand. She can't help but feel excited. Is he going to use magic on himself? Change his linker core somehow? Use a youma doppel ganger!?
"That's enough. Don't fill me in too much, don't want to spill your secrets, you know? Anything that has you two fighting less is okay in my book. That's /expensive/! Anyway, good luck. I can't wait to find out what you've come up with."
Having run out of pastries and coffee - and gained an idea an idea to plot out - it looks like he's come out of this conversation much better than he came into it.
Except for the kick he just recieved from Hannah! "Well, I didn't want you distracted, either. Gotta focus on the person you're fighting, not a friend up in the stands. No reason to make a scene of myself."
He's admittedly proud of his reputation - unwilling to give that up. He can't deny the rush he gets when people notice him arriving at a fight.
"Fair enough, it'll be good to surprise you too. You already surprised me enough, time to return the favor." Takashi adds, as he stands up. But then he does something more unexpected - as he walks over, he hugs Hannah tight around the shoulders from the side.
"Thanks for today." he adds, before he walks out.
Hannah blinks. She feels warm as words hit her ears. She rubs her shoulders.
Takashi /hugged/ her. Hugged her. The entire thing runs through her brain several times long after he's left.
Her head hits the table, blushed to the neck, and she rubs her head.
"Wh...why are all of my friends evil, crazy, loveable, or ALL THREE!?"