[ Maya is as optimistic as they come. If a friend disappeared, she did everything in her power to hunt them down, figuring out every possibility and investigating it.
But she'd been through this with Momo, Zelda.
And the lump in her throat is still very much present when she reads this message. ]
[ Perhaps it's good that she's so straightforward about it; she leaves no room for doubt or persuasion. But maybe it's worse, too - Lupin thrives on hopes and wishes, and the bluntness of her answer shoots them right out from under him like a bullet through a bird's wings. His response is slow in coming. ]
True; I know him very well and so know that you are correct; still the matter remains that I told him that I would save him from his Fate only weeks before this occurred, and now I am left hoping that the oft-hopeful Thought that those who disappear return to their Homes is in fact false, and that he is kept somewhere alive where I may rescue him.
[ Oh, boy. Maya would be grateful that Lupin couldn't see how her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat, but... no. She can't talk to him like this. ]
[ the implication from this tag that maya brings baofu with her everywhere terrifies me. In any case, Lupin is quick to open the door, as always, and if she was worried she'd arrive to find a disheveled and depressed husk of a man, those worries will vanish instantly on seeing him; he looks the same as he always does, well-groomed and with a smile. There's only the barest hint of some darkness lurking in his eyes. He's very good at hiding his personal feelings. ]
Hey. [ a muted greeting, though he couples it with a smile and a polite nod of his head before stepping back to let her in. ] As if I would send back a parcel as lovely as you, Miss Maya.
[ He's not the only one, and Maya already knows what to look for, if she felt like doing it.
But she doesn't, and as she steps inside, she tilts her head to meet his eyes and locks her fingers together behind her back. Without further preamble-- ]
[ that's really all he can say to that. He'd caught a glimpse of her past, of that moment - the moment of her death - but he doesn't recall seeing Minato there. Still, they're both Persona users... ]
You mean, you two knew each other back home?
[ all things considered, he takes the sudden statement pretty well. Lupin's feeling a bit numb. ]
[ he hates not being able to help; it's written in bold print in every plane of his face. London - and Cardia - are his first priorities, though; he can't put aside his world ans his friends for a single person, as precious as that person may be. It does little to help his feeling that he should have done more, however. He sighs, pulling out a chair and sitting down into it tiredly. ]
If it's you, I know he'll be in good hands. I do have faith in you - the utmost. [ a pause; he continues, glancing off to the side. ] I can't help feeling like there's more I should have done and said to him. I took his being here for granted. It's easy to say all this now, I know, but I feel it all the same.
[ There's a point she wants to make, but she can't until she knows more behind this. Because she hates seeing Lupin look so self-deprecating, just because his priorities have to be different. ]
I figured it out on my own. It's a long story, but Dextera and I were essentially trying to solve a riddle from the town. He had a list of names, and I found out that the common point between all of them was that they'd all passed away. Minato's was one of them. I'd hoped I was wrong, but when I confronted him about it, he came clean.
[ he'd put that off for a while, too, when he shouldn't have. It was because he knew he wasn't wrong; he rarely is, and certainly not about something so dire. ]
That... sounds like him. I think there's only one person he told, and that anyone else found out by complete accident.
[ Minato had never wanted to worry anyone, or make them sad. He'd resigned himself to his fate, and Maya... couldn't simply accept that. She'd never been the type, and she wasn't about to start now with him, the kid who was her little brother in all but blood. ]
[ a nod, and Lupin manages a small smirk. It does sound like him, doesn't it? ]
That's the kind of guy he was, huh? I got a little upset with him, asked him why he never told me - he said he didn't want anyone to treat him differently, and told me not to worry about him.
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But she'd been through this with Momo, Zelda.
And the lump in her throat is still very much present when she reads this message. ]
I'm pretty sure he's gone, Lupin.no subject
Then I have failed him very cruelly
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I doubt he'd see it that way. And neither do I.no subject
Did he tell you that he was dead, Maya?
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Can we talk? In person?no subject
That may be better. You know where to find me, Miss Maya.
- Lupin
[ by that, he just means his house. No secret hideouts or clandestine meeting places this time. ]
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But he'll get a knock on his door soon enough, followed by a muffled voice. ]
Special delivery! No returns!
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Hey. [ a muted greeting, though he couples it with a smile and a polite nod of his head before stepping back to let her in. ] As if I would send back a parcel as lovely as you, Miss Maya.
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But she doesn't, and as she steps inside, she tilts her head to meet his eyes and locks her fingers together behind her back. Without further preamble-- ]
Minato-kun and I saw each other dying.
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[ that's really all he can say to that. He'd caught a glimpse of her past, of that moment - the moment of her death - but he doesn't recall seeing Minato there. Still, they're both Persona users... ]
You mean, you two knew each other back home?
[ all things considered, he takes the sudden statement pretty well. Lupin's feeling a bit numb. ]
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... So I've known for awhile. But if my death was reversed, I refuse to believe that his has to be permanent.
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Even if it's not, there's not much we can do about it from here. That's the problem.
[ he was sure that he could find a way to save Minato here - but now he's a world away. ]
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[ She's pretty sure she and Minato share that much, even if it's a different time. ]
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[ and it's something he's thought about a lot, considering the situation with Cairngorm. ]
There's too much I need to do back home. Things I can't abandon - not even for him.
[ it sucks to admit it. Lupin always wants to save everyone. But he can't be in two places at once. ]
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[ She's not going to begrudge Lupin; whatever his reasons are, she's very certain they're important. ]
Because saving him is something I won't fail at.
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[ he hates not being able to help; it's written in bold print in every plane of his face. London - and Cardia - are his first priorities, though; he can't put aside his world ans his friends for a single person, as precious as that person may be. It does little to help his feeling that he should have done more, however. He sighs, pulling out a chair and sitting down into it tiredly. ]
If it's you, I know he'll be in good hands. I do have faith in you - the utmost. [ a pause; he continues, glancing off to the side. ] I can't help feeling like there's more I should have done and said to him. I took his being here for granted. It's easy to say all this now, I know, but I feel it all the same.
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[ There's a point she wants to make, but she can't until she knows more behind this. Because she hates seeing Lupin look so self-deprecating, just because his priorities have to be different. ]
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I figured it out on my own. It's a long story, but Dextera and I were essentially trying to solve a riddle from the town. He had a list of names, and I found out that the common point between all of them was that they'd all passed away. Minato's was one of them. I'd hoped I was wrong, but when I confronted him about it, he came clean.
[ he'd put that off for a while, too, when he shouldn't have. It was because he knew he wasn't wrong; he rarely is, and certainly not about something so dire. ]
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[ Minato had never wanted to worry anyone, or make them sad. He'd resigned himself to his fate, and Maya... couldn't simply accept that. She'd never been the type, and she wasn't about to start now with him, the kid who was her little brother in all but blood. ]
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That's the kind of guy he was, huh? I got a little upset with him, asked him why he never told me - he said he didn't want anyone to treat him differently, and told me not to worry about him.
[ a sigh. ]
Easy for him to say.
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[ But it's incredibly frustrating. ]