I Swear I've Always Been Here! [Open]

"Spoiled? But she's a princess among kittens. Look at her." Miyako gave Yoshioka another smile, the cute kitten seeming to love the attention.

"Are there any other toys you plan on getting? I can go to the check out and get mine at least." Moving to stand, she held the stick in one hand with her sketch book. She wanted to thank him for cheering her up but couldn't think of anything... Getting a toy for his cat seemed a little too small... An idea came to her and she laughed, showing her happiness. "Hey, do you like ice cream? I'll treat you as thanks if you want some."

There was a stand nearby with popsicles and soft serve. It wasn't out of her way and she hoped his too.

"Mn...I need to get some food here as well, so I'll be up at the register in a bit." Aito replied, two other toys in his hand aside from the one Miyako had.

His eyes turned to look at her at the mention of ice cream. "Nn, sure."

Whatever, she was offering so...

Miyako gave a nod and a grin at Yoshioka's words, he'd need to feed the cute little thing, but he'd said yes to her offer of ice cream! A bit of a happy bouncy to her step, she wandered off to the register though it took her a few minutes longer than it should due to small fuzzy animals. By the time she was at the register though, her nose was sniffling. Allergies...annoying...

Setting the toy on the counter, she rubbed her nose and pulled out her wallet. Handing over the 500 yen coin, she got change back and put it away. A sneeze followed this and she realized she better get out before it got worse... Where was her handkerchief?

Stepping outside, she rubbed her nose and watering eyes while waiting in plain view of the store window and door. Yoshioka would see her easily.

Aito went and got what he needed, the toys, the food...that was all he needed, and he headed off towards the register to buy everything. With a single glance he noticed Miyako outside as he was handed the bag containing his things as he pocketed his wallet.

Regalia was pleased now, she had new toys to look forward to.

The door to the shop opened with a bell chime as he exited the store, the bag hanging from his arm.

Turning with her handkerchief over her mouth and nose, Miyako ended up sneezing a few times in a row before she could call a small greeting to Yoshioka. "Didn't take long at all. This way-Achoo!- to the stand. Its really yummy, I get it whenever I head back to the dorms."

Pulling out hand sanitizer, she quickly wiped her hands off and then started walking after wiping her eyes with another handkerchief. Get all the dander off and then maybe she could stop sneezing...

Was she okay? She wasn't sneezing and stuff awhile ago...

Still, Aito gave a nod, and began walking along with Miyako as she headed off. So soon there would be ice cream...he figured he'd just get caramel ice cream.

The sneezing only lasted a bit into the walk, Miyako making sure to keep up with Aito's longer legged stride despite that distraction. Finally, finally it stopped and she sighed with relief.

A few minutes later, the stand came into sight and with relieved smile Miyako pointed before reaching to pull out her wallet. "Ah there, order whatever you want! Its my treat, you cheered me up a lot Yoshioka-san so its the least I can do to thank you."

When they reached the ice cream stand, Aito looked over the flavors, finding the one he normally got just as Miyako said to order whichever he wanted.

Thank him for cheering her up? He didn't really get what he did that seemed to cheer her up but whatever...

He ordered a scoop of caramel ice cream once that previous thought had passed.

Miyako grinned at the choice, smiling as she picked out a soft serve vanilla with chocolate sprinkles. Her wallet was in her hand, but the sketchpad and toy were tucked under her arm and as she moved to pay, both tumbled from them to the ground.

Letting out a small groan, she finished paying and took her money before glancing down and seeing it had opened to her rather detailed drawing of one of those weird monster hallucinations. Waving her hands as she panicked, she hurried bent over over and scooped both back up and closed it. "Ah sorry sorry! I'm such a klutz. Th-That was just a weird...fantasy idea thing. Yeah for a project someone asked me to do... M-Make monsters...for them!"

She couldn't tell the truth, that she was seeing weird things and trying to figure out what they were...

Aito's eyes went to Miyako's things as they dropped, his attention having been drawn to him due to the sudden drop once she'd paid for the ice cream.

Those were...

Alright, so maybe this wasn't as "normal" as he'd thought. As she quickly panicked and moved to scoop everything back up, he wasn't really given a chance to say anything. Weird, fantasy idea? Nice excuse...

"Mn..." He gave a nod regardless, accepting it for now...though he knew damn well she was lying, and he'd almost called her on it...Later then...

Yoshioka bought it! Well not like he wouldn't, it would be weird for him to think they were REAL in the first place. Why was she so nervous about this? It looked odd didn't it?

Well she shot him a thankful smile. Stuffing the book more firmly under her arm, she accepted her ice cream cone just as Yoshioka was handed his. Taking a big lick filled with chocolate and vanilla goodness, she smiled. "Aaah, much better in this heat. I don't know why I wear this coat half the time but for the pockets..."

Aito accepted the cone of his ice cream, taking a small lick just as Miyako began speaking again. Considering it was summer, wearing coats wasn't exactly the brightest idea in the first place...then again, he was in one...

Though, he hardly had the choice at the moment; damn...stupid punishment...

"Mn." Still, he gave a nod at her statement.

"I suppose since I've paid you back I don't need to keep stealing your company anymore, Yoshioka-san." Miyako smiled warmly before licking her ice cream more. He had a kitten to take home and play with and she reached under the arm holding the ice cream to grab the stick toy.

Holding it out, she offered it to him. "Here, let me put this in your bag. I hope she likes it."

"Mn..." Aito gave a small nod, holding out the bag he had been carrying so she could do put the other toy in there. "...Hollows. Those monster drawings..."

He didn't really know how to approach it, so he'd just given the name of those things. He knew some things, but not much...He hadn't really retained that much from that one crash course lesson Aoi had given back when she'd first encountered him.

Miyako slipped the toy in the bag with a smile before she went to wave goodbye and leave the man to his day... But his words stopped her dead.

She froze for a moment, her hand still in the wave as her eyes slowly opened and she stared at Yoshioka. Had...had...he recognized? Parts of her warred, should she continue to deny and just... but what if this was her one chance?

Shaking slightly, she stared in a bit of fear at Yoshioka. "Y-You...know... and...they aren't...hallucinations?"

Her voice was soft, they were still near the ice cream stand and unconsciously with the mind of someone who ate ice cream often she licked her cone so she wouldn't spill it.

"Y...Yeah." Aito replied, averting his eyes for a small moment; he didn't know what else to say. They were real things, they ate souls, and also attack and eat living humans with...a presence? He guessed.

Either way they were annoying as hell.

Miyako's eyes grew large at that one word reply as Yoshioka confirmed her worst fear and best wish. She wasn't crazy! But that also meant those things... were real. They...could hurt her? They ignored her so far...

Her legs gave out as she fell to the ground onto her butt. It hurt but she just sat there, staring at nothing and utterly shocked by the days events. "...What do I do now? What's...happened to me... Am I safe, Yoshioka-san?"

If she hadn't been plagued by those visions for weeks, if she hadn't seen them around and eating people for more than a bit now she might have been more disbelieving. As it was she just had no idea what to do and her ice cream was utterly forgotten.

His eyes widened slightly when Miyako just...collapsed to the ground. She...She was in public, surrounded by people! "Gh...g...Can we go somewhere to talk about this...where it's less public?"

It'd be weird to be heard, this stupid spiritual bullshit was...well, stupid! For normal people it was crazy talk...

Finally, he could no longer resist the urge and his hand came up to ruffle his hair slightly.

"Y-Yeah!" Miyako came to her senses as Yoshioka spoke, blinking and nodding as she moved to stand carefully. Licking the slightly spilled ice cream, her mind felt in a daze but she could focus enough to give him a reply.

"The dorms I'm in are females only...no guys allowed in. Um... I don't really know anywhere private unless a secluded part of the park?" She'd...never really went into those because well who knew what was there? People kissing or more...

He couldn't...couldn't leave her like this. She had to know more... Looking at the ground, her dazed mind grabbed his bag and held it. He could not escape now...

Aito blinked, glancing around after she named off options that weren't really options and grabbing his back...preventing him from really even thinking of leaving, before pointing slightly right off to the side; "Alleyway, I guess...then?"

It was empty, and it was mostly away from people...out of earshot anyway from anyone walking the side walk.

Okay that got a blush from her. An alleyway with a strange young man? He had a kitten yeah, but still a stranger mostly. Still if he had wanted bad things... Looking up, her daze faded a bit more as her shock went with it. A more determined look was in her eyes and she nodded. "Yes. I have to hear more, sorry!"

Tugging on the bag, she with true teen recklessness, pulled Yoshioka towards the alleyway. It might be dangerous and forward of her and rude to boot! But she needed to know!

Jeez, he was going!

"Alright, alright." Aito replied as he was tugged into the alleyway; she was being damn determined about this. He was going to say things, she didn't need to act like he was gonna bolt!

He kept himself composed though, despite the mild frustration.

Once they were safely out of earshot and in the shadows, Miyako let go and gave Yoshioka a bow. "I'm sorry for my conduct. I'm just... I just started seeing those things recently. I thought I was going crazy and someone else would think I was or just under too much stress."

She had finished her cone in a hurry while tugging him along and had nothing anymore in her hands, so she pulled open her sketchpad. Flipping through pages, she found that specific one he'd seen, her eyes pleading up at Yoshioka with more than a bit of fear. "P-Please! Please tell me everything you know about this. What are they? Why can I see these things? Will they eat me too like they did that...woman... No one else saw her or paid attention to her but she died..."

She shuddered and looked down from Yoshioka's hazel eyes.

"A...Ah..." For one...He knew already he would be horrible at explaining this...if he could really call what he was about to do "explaining."

"Those things are called Hollows, like I said earlier..." He replied, his hand moving back to his hair. "I guess that woman was a ghost, because that's what they eat mostly..."

He tried to think back some on things he knew which...well....it all meshed and was confusing a lot of the time.

"If you see 'em you have...spiritual awareness or something. A lot of people are spiritually aware...I guess, there's a lot of different types though."

Watching Yoshioka, she listened carefully before speaking. There was a bit of excitement in her eyes. This was the second time he'd done that hair thing, but she didn't notice too much other than in passing.

"I'm a medium?" Miyako's eyes were wide as she stared up at the taller man, her hand coming to her mouth. "Gh-Ghosts? Hollows... D-Different types? Can I do cool things? Or is it just ghost seeing... Am I supposed to pass them on or something?"

She seemed a bit excited, though nervously so. It was good right? Other than the monsters... Ghosts! She could see and speak to them then?

There was one major worry though... "The hollows...can they see me? Will they...bother me? There was one last week, it just stared at me. I pretended not to see it and it left eventually but..."

She'd been obviously freaked out.