Naomi says we've gotta be careful, but I think she worries too much. I can tell, right? And I bet you can too. You're a nice person, not like those people back at the labs.
My guess is that Akane is one of the more sensitive telepaths/empaths of the bunch, and thus really good at reading people - hence why she also ends up reading peoples minds without permission and says what they're about to, which is probably why Naomi says she shouldn't - because it blows their cover.
However, that means that the others are implicitly not, and likely would have interpreted our ability to Identify their presence as us being aligned with the Scientists. Baughn says that they wouldn't have resorted to lethal force, but that's because it's early in the quest, implying that they'd likely be tempted to otherwise.
from what I can find, ITEM isn't, say, Strega levels of murderous, but they're pretty okay with killing people in the way of their objectives (and also members who betray them).
Not sure if to change my vote or not. I think certain things coming out wrong could be a real problem, and we desperately need more information, but I'm also concerned the Write in might just give too much away, and that if things did turn to a conflict and they considered us a traitor for trying to stop them (because I doubt Amu, a nearly 13 year old girl from a show mainly about saving everyone by the power of empathy, is going to be comfortable with murder even if the other person is awful), well it might inform them of some pretty notable weaknesses.
Quite true, but then, whatever path you take there are risks and plenty at that.
For instance if you tell them little or nothing, they'll get suspicious of your intentions, even if you don't go their base the others will want to know more about why there is a random psionic on the street and might try to track you down.
If you go straight to their base, they won't necessarily easily let you go anymore and could treat you as suspicious if you try to leave, because you know where they live now and what else you saw at their base.
So I instead thought to try the route of not risking those and instead try to build some trust with this person who we can clearly get along with and trusts us. The house matter is an extra risk and one could choose not to do that I suppose, but if they really wanted to track Amu down... I kind of doubt she's any good at stopping them from finding out. Certainly she didn't do all that amazingly against some others in the past and those weren't experienced in any way at that.
So an argument can be made that laying ones cards on the table and playing to ones strengths of being a friendly and very powerful psionic with many allies, could also work. Building a bond on the basis that you too were in such danger, but you overcame it and managed to keep your home with a group of psionics would certainly be relatable to them to an extent I suspect. But yes... there is some guessing in there, so there is a chance of misjudging some things as well.
Thus... no matter what you do, there is now risk. The question really is which of these paths is the most risky... and which might be the most beneficial. Obviously I have my speculation on that here, but we don't really have enough info to be sure of it of course.
Though it's worth noting, Amu is quite likely going to start thinking about saving endangered psionics... she's kind of like that, it is what she did last time. So she'd probably tend towards getting involved one way or the other. And to an extent one might just be deciding in what way she gets involved, with help from some of her friends, possibly isolated from them, under suspicion, not as suspected, etc etc.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed.
- [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs.
- - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed.
- [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs.
- - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed.
- [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs.
- - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed.
- [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs.
- - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
Adhoc vote count started by Baughn on Oct 25, 2023 at 7:51 PM, finished with 32 posts and 10 votes.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order. - [X] But go along anyway, to figure out what's happening.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order. - [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed. - [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs. - - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
Write-ins are often a good idea. I've said this before, but the provided options—while typically decent—are rarely the best option. That's as much my lack of imagination as anything. Anyway, let's put a timer on this.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed.
- [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs.
- - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
Aight then, this seems mostly better then... still a little anxious.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed.
- [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs.
- - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed.
- [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs.
- - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
I should check for new threads more often than once a week or so...
For a couple hours last night, the vote was tied...
That doesn't seem like it's going to happen. But it's worth noting that, in case this happens for a vote on Amu's actions, the practical result will usually be 'waffling'. Amu can't decide, so she debates the problem mentally until she's lost her chance to make a decision, and you get the default—assuming, of course, she isn't super against the default.
For example: In this case she would have been mentally anguishing between her choices, no doubt amusing Kana greatly, until they'd already gotten to her home and declaring "no, actually let's go to a cafe!" would've been far too awkward to voice.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed.
- [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs.
- - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
Intrigued and excited to see this back (belated though this post is)
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed.
- [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs.
- - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
Scheduled vote count started by Baughn on Oct 24, 2023 at 10:42 PM, finished with 39 posts and 14 votes.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order. - [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed. - [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs. - - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order. - [X] But go along anyway, to figure out what's happening.
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed.
- [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs.
- - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] And drag Akane to a cafe, where you can get a better read on her without either of you being outnumbered or overwhelmed.
- [X] Text or have Miki text Nikaidou-sensei to see if he's heard anything about this girl or any other names that are dropped, given his historic involvement in such affairs.
- - [X] Hikaru as a backup if Nikaidou doesn't know, or isn't available.
September 19, 2009
Scientists?
"Wait, wait," she said, stopping.
"What?" Akane asked, tilting her head. "Oh, don't worry. Naomi's the best. She's like, our big sister. She'll take care of you, and she doesn't force you to do anything and she'll help you hide. It'll be fine, okay? It's not that far."
Amu hesitated. That wasn't the problem.
"And you're..." Akane continued, frowning. "Not coming? Because you're..."
A telepath, as was Akane. "I just don't think it's smart," Amu said, knowing perfectly well Akane would know that wasn't quite right. She was scared—just a little.
It was a sputtering, foamy sort of feeling. As though their minds were trying to mix together, but couldn't quite. Heady, almost addictive. Amu could feel Akane's hope—her worry, and her trust, aimed at Naomi. Because Naomi-
"I'm not lying," Akane said, squeezing Amu's hand. "I know it's a little fast. But I mean, I've only met a few people like us, and some of them were real jerks, and I didn't like them, but Naomi's nice, and then there's Aoi, she's..."
Amu got a fleeting impression of someone else, and a sense of affection, and...
"Like your sister?" Amu suggested.
"She's my friend," Akane said, blushing slightly, and refusing to meet Amu's eyes. "But you can tell, right? That they're nice."
She could, definitely. Amu could see a bit of something—not a memory, not quite, just a sense. An impression of a girl named Aoi, with yellow eyes, twintails and an angular face that, if Amu were honest, looked a bit like her own.
"Or a crush?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She felt a bit red-faced herself.
"Sh-shut up," Akane replied, pouting.
They'd ended up stopping underneath a tree in the park, still holding hands, and it was a little bit awkward, and a bit funny, and Amu felt a bit light-headed. Akane's mind was overwhelming. Sure, Amu was 'a bit of a telepath'—and Utau, more so—but Amu didn't have the sheer raw power Akane did. It was... comfortable, though. Like being wrapped in a blanket. Kana wouldn't hurt her. Amu could, as Akane would say, tell.
'Tsundere', Amu accused, and Akane made a sound between a splutter and a whine, which only confirmed Amu's suspicions. It was for the best, really, that Akane could tell how amused she felt—because 'Kana had never once thought that maybe her crush would be the tiniest bit mutual, which more or less guaranteed that it wasn't, and now-
Amu's amusement faded a bit, and her spine tingled. She hadn't meant to, she hadn't been looking, but she'd caught a glimpse of just why Akane loved her 'big sister' so much. And now, while Kana was spluttering, she was deciphering it.
⁂
'The next patrol guy is taking a leak,' thought Aoi, clinically evaluating the situation. The thought came with an impression like a map; a picture of the building's interior, the patrolman's path, and their objective.
'The drugs are in the third cupboard from the left, from the door,' coming with a mental image of a lab full of vials. 'On the bottom shelf.'
Akane nodded. She looked around the garage, her eyes lingering on the camera. A camera she'd stuck an illusion in front of. A guard was sitting under it, dead; she'd stopped his mind, and then stabbed his heart.
She dutifully relayed the intel to Naomi, whining a little about how all the dust would dirty her clothes. It was a good thing Naomi had a good sense of direction, because Akane didn't know how she could possibly be able to see through the darkness. The guards all had night-vision gear, but she'd never learned how to use that. Maybe Naomi could teach her.
'Go now, then no-one else needs to die…' A mental sigh, of sorts. 'Kana, that means you. You couldn't have just wiped his mind?'
Well… well she could have, but then she'd seen into his thoughts, and he'd been looking forward to the next 'training session'!
'It's okay,' thought Aoi. 'Let's just grab the goods and get out.'
⁂
Amu felt her stomach lurch, and the world swayed a little, but Akane was too taken by her own emotions, and didn't notice.
"I'm not a tsundere," Akane said, crossing her arms and pouting.
"Of course not," Amu replied, stuffing the memory down hard. She tried not to throw up. The part of her that was Su was low-key panicking. The rest of her tried to pretend it hadn't happened. "You're just... lying to a telepath, and you know it, and frankly?" The way Kana's face lit up when she felt Amu's amusement. "You're a terrible liar."
"Shut up!" Kana replied, pouting, and Amu's smile got a bit more real. "Too bad you're not coming with me."
She was not, no.
"Can you at least tell me why?" Kana asked, trying and failing to look nonchalant.
Should she?
Kana had nothing like a chara. Amu was sure of that, because if she had, she would have noticed the double-think. Amu had never tried the 'hide a thought in Su's mind' trick before. It wasn't very effective, but it was good enough to fool Kana, apparently.
"Well," she said, and paused.
She'd thought, when she'd started this walk, that today would be a normal day. That had probably jinxed it, right?
"Because..." she said, and frowned. "I don't think you're bad. And I like you. But..."
Kana's face fell. Ami's face was in the forefront in Amu's mind.
"I have a family, you know," she said, looking away.
"...oh."
She really... didn't think Kana was bad. They'd been there to steal drugs, but not the bad sort of drugs; Amu had caught on to that. It was something Naomi needed. She wasn't sure if they'd been attacking yakuza, or... or those 'scientists' Kana kept trying not to think of, that seemed more likely. And it didn't escape her that she'd already latched on to the nickname, but she couldn't hate her. She just couldn't. Kana was like a puppy, all wide eyes and big dreams, and the dreams were all about being safe with her family, or hugging them. Or simply existing.
You couldn't dislike someone like that, not when her mind was all entangled with Amu's and Amu knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wasn't hiding who she was. What she did, yes, but not the 'who'. Not when the feeling of her was so... so warm. So full of trust, for Naomi and Aoi and all the others Amu didn't have names for.
She pushed that image of Ami into Kana's mind. 'She's just the cutest, right?'
Kana nodded.
'I love her a lot. I can't put her in danger.'
That made Kana look up sharply, staring at Amu, as she realised that Amu had seen through her, to... at least a little of what she'd been hiding.
'Sorry.'
'It's okay,' Amu replied, once again relying on telepathy to make sure Kana knew she meant it. 'I won't tell anyone. I promise. But do you want... do you want to go to a cafe together? We can talk. I've got a bit of money, and I guess I can give you my number? Just in case anything happens, you can call me if you ever need anything. And... I don't mind being with you. And we can...'
She trailed off. Those scientists. It hadn't been like that—nothing like that—but the first thing that came to mind, when she thought of 'scientists', was the two bumbling oafs from Easter.
Two incompetents in lab coats, or that was how Utau would talk about them, who had nevertheless built a machine that smashed and pressed dreams into mind-controlling 'CDs'. Amu didn't know what they'd done after she'd gotten to Hikaru. She'd thought—she had hoped—that they'd returned to- doing- whatever adults did when they weren't kidnapping little kids or building evil devices, but...
This thought she didn't try to keep secret. The opposite, and she saw the exact moment when Akane realised what she was seeing.
The feeling was... complicated. Amu couldn't quite make out all of it, not without getting closer, and she didn't want to be that close, and-
She'd been ten. They'd taken part of her soul, wanting to crush it to power their machinery. That was—a lot nastier in retrospect.
'Oh no.' Akane's hand flew to her mouth, and that was the exact moment that her feelings went from the remnants of excitement, to fear—on behalf of Amu—to horror. 'Oh no, no no no, no no no.' She was staring, and the look on her face was... "Are you... okay?"
"Yeah," Amu said.
"That's a bit too.."
"I'm fine now. They're gone."
"I know those two," said Kana, her voice low and heavy. "They were... They were... I'm going to kill them."
But her thoughts were full of regret. Naomi had seen the pair, once—years ago—and let them go, because they'd been fired. That was before they'd ever started working for Easter.
⁂
They did, in fact, go to a cafe. There was a small one, near where Akane had accosted her, that always felt cozy. The sign out front had a kitten with a cup, and it looked like a cat had knocked the cup over, spilling its contents onto the ground.
More importantly, it had cake. They both needed cake.
It was narrow—barely wide enough to walk past each other—but the walls were decorated with cute pictures, and it had a counter by the entrance. Perfect for lazy afternoons, in other words. There was a ramen shop next door; Utau sometimes came there with Kukai, for another of their regularly scheduled eating contests. Amu sometimes came there with Utau, to watch her wolf down twice what Amu could eat.
Today the cafe was empty, and a bit lonely. Amu and Kana found a spot by the window.
Kana—with all the heavy stuff out of the way—had reverted to her bouncy, enthusiastic self, and was chattering at Amu about her 'big sister'.
She didn't seem to be able to help herself.
"Naomi's so nice," she gushed. "She's always making sure everyone is fed and clean, and she always helps everyone with their homework. And she's super pretty, too, even if she thinks her legs are weird, and Aoi agrees."
"You've got homework?" Amu replied, smiling.
"Do you think that's weird?"
"No, it's not, it's..." She paused. "I guess not."
"Naomi says it's important," Kana continued, taking a sip of her chocolate milk. "We can't get too far behind, she says, 'cause we're not gonna get very far if we don't learn anything."
"Sounds like a sensible person."
"She's the best."
There was a slight lull in the conversation, while Amu considered Kana. She'd been awfully accommodating, really. Knowing for a fact that Amu didn't mean any harm would have helped, quite a lot, but that didn't account for all of it. It was like she was used to this sort of meeting… on neutral ground? Was that the term?
Kana's wink suggested that yes, yes it was.
"So," Amu said, taking a sip of her cup. Regular tea, not chocolate, because she liked tea and not that. "How long have you known each other?"
That was a minefield, and both of them knew it. But Kana was a little bit drunk on Amu's attention, and a little bit drunk on the chocolate milk, and Amu had made her a promise.
"Years," Kana replied. "She's always been there for us. Naomi kept pretending she was on the doctors' side, and then... and then they hurt one of the others, and... I'm not going to say anything else. Sorry. I just don't think I should. Not without her permission."
That was, Amu had to admit, a good idea.
"You don't have to," she said. "But she's been protecting you your whole life, just about?" Like Utau, before the final fight with Hikaru. Well, maybe that was a little bit off.
"Yeah, she's a hero," Kana replied, grinning widely. "She's like an older sister to all of us. Like you and Ami. You love her a lot, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"Naomi does too," Kana replied. "Even if she's not always the best at saying it. She pretends she's all aloof sometimes, but I can see it. ...so. Utau, was it?"
"What?" Amu blinked. "Uh, yes."
"Is she your girlfriend?"
"I'm- uh. No, she's not," Amu replied, blushing. "Why do you ask?"
"Your thoughts keep wandering back to her." Kana grinned, and twirled a strand of hair. "And you think she's pretty, and nice, and I can tell you love her, one way or the other. Do you want her to be your girlfriend?"
"No," Amu said.
"That's a lie, and I can tell."
Amu stared.
"You're lying again, even to yourself," Kana continued, grinning. "I bet you do want her to be your girlfriend."
"No, I- I don't," Amu said, and the blush spread. "Really. I'm not- I mean-"
Kana took pity, and stopped. Her insufferable grin didn't go away. "How about your sister? What's Ami like?"
"Ami?" Amu smiled. "She's adorable. Just started school, and she's really enjoying it. It's just..." She shrugged. "She's a bit worrisome, sometimes. And I worry about her, because I know things she doesn't, and—"
"And she's a bit psychic, huh?"
"She pulled a seashell out of a dream and it became real." Amu laughed.
"We've got one like that, too," Kana said. "She's a bit... not here. Like, her brain's a bit messed up, so she's not very good at controlling it. Sometimes her nightmares come true, and sometimes they don't, and she doesn't always know what's real and what isn't. But she's good. She's the best little sister. I love her lots."
She meant it, too. Amu got glimpses of nightmares—of dark figures stalking the room around what looked like a ten-year-old, a little kid with a face covered by long, messy, brown hair. She was holding a teddy bear, sleeping in a pool of shadow—and Akane was fighting to get past them, and Naomi was there, with a burst of fire, and-
Kana frowned. "Don't look at that. Here-"
-and then it was replaced with the memory of the same young girl, hugging Kana.
"We're fine," she said. "Like I said. It's fine. It's not like you've not got problems, right?"
Fine? What part of that was fine? Amu looked at her, and Kana grinned.
"Yeah, I know," she said. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but... well, you're like me, right?" She got to her feet, pulling Amu up with her. "So you know I'm fine."
She did not. Kana gave her a rueful smile, and Amu knew that she knew that Amu knew. Not that Amu was trying to keep her feelings hidden. This wasn't fine. None of this was fine. She wasn't scared of 'Kana—she wasn't, despite the girl probably being the scariest thing she'd met in her life. The scariest thing she'd met without a white coat and a lab, at least. Because, like it or not-
Utau. Ikuto.
A hundred, hundred children.
-she knew what people were like, and she didn't think Kana was the exception. She was, Amu thought, probably more like the rule. Kukai was the only one of her friends who hadn't been somehow hurting, and she got Kana, on a deeper level than Amu was comfortable with.
But...
"You're still here," Kana said. She gave Amu's hand a quick squeeze, then released her.
"Why would I leave?"
"I dunno," she said, her voice nonchalant. "Some people run. Or yell. I mean, I'm a 'delinquent', right?" She giggled, and made air quotes around the word. "And Yui makes nightmares, plus there's... everything else."
"Well," Amu said, rolling her eyes. "I think that's my line, but, well, sure. You're a delinquent. You don't go to school. I'm pretty sure that's the, um, definition."
"Which is why Naomi teaches us at home," Kana said, shrugging. "So, technically I do go to school. It's not as hard as people make it seem, though. I mean, some of the others have trouble, and it's a bit boring, but, like, math's easy. So's science. We've got a library."
"A... library?" Amu asked.
"Well, the guy who used to own the place was a teacher, so," Kana shrugged again, and Amu got the feeling she didn't want to broach the subject. "So. You're not coming with me, clearly. And you'd be an idiot if you took me home, and I don't think you are, so-"
Amu said nothing. She just thought, very loudly, about the fact that the other girl had been instantly eager to bring Amu to her home.
Kana laughed, and poked her cheek.
"Hey," Kana said. "So, anyway. We should hang out, 'kay?"
Amu raised an eyebrow. "I was thinking the same."
"Tomorrow?" Akane raised another, mirroring Amu. "We'll meet up back here? The cakes are good, and I want to try that strawberry one that you're eating, if it's that good, and- oops."
"Cake sounds good," Amu agreed, grinning. It was a bit late for Kana to worry about her mind-reading. She'd been practically waist-deep in Amu for the last hour, and she knew it, too, she was reading this thought while Amu was thinking it and-
Wow, that was a cute blush.
"Sure," Kana mumbled, blushing even harder. "Oh, but..." She hesitated, and then nodded. "Yeah, sounds like a plan. Here, at noon?"
"Good plan."
= = =
Your inventory now includes one (1) murderous preteen. I'd recommend care, but let's be honest, I know how SV works. At least be nice to her.
You now have two, interlinked choices to make.
What do you want to do for the next month-or-so, in your downtime? You may choose multiple options, and Amu will divide her time between them. Some have a heightened chance of interrupts; I will always stop the clock if anything important happens. No more than 3, maximum.
What will be your general stance towards the Scavengers, as opposed to Kana? …not that Akane told you the name of their group, but it'll surprise no-one, Kana included, that Amu picked up on it anyway.
It's difficult to write a list like this, so you should really be thinking in terms of write-ins, but here's a few ideas.
[ ][Amu] Get to know your classmates
You've been in middle school for half a year, and so far you've had more social contact with the second-graders than your own class. Mostly because Kukai is a second-grader, but still, it's a poor showing. Your relative isolation in grade-school was bad enough!
Would give you a general overview of your classmates, beyond what you get for loose acquaintances. Value… indeterminate, but at least it'll make Amu feel better. Maybe it means easier destressing?
[ ][Amu] Chat with Ami
True, Ami has always been cute, but she's gradually becoming a person. Talking to her is starting to be fun. Do normal, big-sisterly things, like complimenting her on her skill as a dreamwalker, or painting the sort-of-octopus statue she found there yesterday.
This is a sad reflection on Amu's chances of normality.
[ ][Amu] Hang out with Utau, and maybe Kukai if he'll come along?
As friends. Friends hang out in groups. Kana is nuts.
Bringing her up to date will happen regardless. This is Amu taking special care to spend more time with people.
[ ][Amu] Spend time with Ran, Miki and Su
Since this basically knocks you out for the day, it takes a slot all on its own.
There's no specific benefit expected, but maybe you can figure out how to better compartmentalise? Just in case of telepaths.
[ ][Amu] Invite Kana to your birthday
This doesn't take any extra time. The birthday will happen regardless. In five days.
Unlike the others, this is free in terms of time slots; you get 4 instead of 3.
I don't think there's a need to explain any further; you can already guess. Discussion feeds the author?
[ ][Amu] Catch up with old friends
Lulu Yamamoto, specifically.
She did give you her phone number, and you're not sure you've called more than twice. It's embarrassing. Granted, she's usually asleep when you're awake.
But there's apparently a lot of psychics here who don't even have charas, and never did, right here in your backyard. And Lulu does, but she's also…
Maybe she has another perspective?
Maybe you should just let her know you didn't totally forget her for a solid year.
[ ][Amu] Write-in
= = =
[ ][Scavengers] Friendly
There's no choice but to try to get along, is there? No reason to dig, digging seems contraindicated, but Amu doesn't mind getting to know them as people. She'll take Kana's next invitation, a week or so hence.
Pure social; Amu will steer away from any risky information.
[ ][Scavengers] Curious
It might be a little risky, especially as Kana already knows you're a telepath—and a weaker one than her—but not a single part of this sits well with you. The girls she described shouldn't be in a situation like this, and you can't help if you don't understand.
The biggest risk is being drawn in, but they'll get to know you, and it's unlikely they'll want to harm you. Especially with Kana there to advocate for you.
[ ][Scavengers] Investigatory
Discuss the situation, in detail, with Nikaidou. He's researched psionics from the scientific side before, and has a lot of information you've never bothered to ask about before.
Kana is almost certain to find out. Her reaction is unknown.
[ ][Scavengers] Neutral
Maybe staying away is the best choice. It's certainly the safest. You'll still have outings with Kana, but that's as far as you'll allow it to go.
Kana would be more distant, but understanding. There are other downsides.
[ ][Scavengers] Hostility in any form
Vetoed by Amu on the basis that it'd make her new friend sad.
I've also renamed 'Telepathy' on the character sheet, because it doesn't match at all what Kana describes by that term. It now gets to be "Mental range".
You've probably noticed that Amu didn't text anyone. It simply didn't fit in; I tried, but with everything that was going on, for her to sit down and spend five minutes typing it out—with Kana watching—would be a terrible idea. Instead, you can assume it's the first thing she did after going home. How much information she let out will depend on your choices here.
But her thoughts were full of regret. Naomi had seen the pair, once—years ago—and let them go, because they'd been fired. That was before they'd ever started working for Easter.
WELP. I smell a plot hook. Wonder what these yahoos are up to now? Orphan Crushing Machines?
Not sure what to do with the Scavengers, I don't think being too standoffish will get us anywhere but we also don't really know much about the group as a whole even if Kana is nice and makes Amu flustered.
[ ][Amu] Catch up with old friends
Entirely onboard with Amu catching up with friends and connecting with others.
These as well [ ][Amu] Hang out with Utau, and maybe Kukai if he'll come along?
[ ][Amu] Spend time with Ran, Miki and Su
Getting practice with compartmentalization sounds important, we don't know if other Telepaths will be as friendly as Kana.
Implication seems to be that the group is absolutely fine with lethal force, but don't default to it and would prefer to avoid killing people who legitimately don't deserve it.
Honestly better than I thought.
[X][Amu] Hang out with Utau, and maybe Kukai if he'll come along?
Because Kana has set things up for this to be a glorious trainwreck. In a good way.
