psychic/action

[upcard]

[Hope you're all enjoying your sudden, Liminal Space-filled existences, Travelers. Either way, there's suddenly going to be a very tentative, very timid psychic broadcast.]

Um... excuse me...

[For anyone who met Mai during the Jaunt, she's certainly entirely different now--but then again, that's why she's doing this in the first place, despite being terrified of bothering people in this way. So after a brief pause, she rallies her courage.]

...My name is Mai--um, for the people I didn't know, and I... I was really different in that Jaunt b-but... I just wanted to say that I'm really really sorry!

[There's no visual here--she doesn't have the capability--but even so, it's pretty obvious to anyone who knows her that she's bowing her head here in her shame and apology.]

I did some truly terrible things to everyone, and I...I was really-- [A pause.] Just... I'm very sorry. That's... that's all.

Oh-- um. Near-san... [...what does she even say to him? She's really not sure. After a moment, a really awkward pause, she manages a fumbled thought--] Can we...talk?

[For those who would rather go the action route, Mai is not hard to find; she's tucked against a penny slots machine, arms wrapped around her knees, chin resting on them and eyes downcast. Seems this Jaunt took quite a lot out of her as well, but then again, dying isn't fun for anyone.

There are people she knows she needs to find and check on, but... well, she needs just a moment longer.]

Comments

[Private]

[solvethepuzzle]

[Yes, this is protected. He is rather sure he knows what Mai wishes to discuss, and all things considered, he would prefer no one else hear it.]

I am amenable. [Unlike in hers, there is no faltering in his mental voice.]

[Private]

[upcard]

Oh...

[Now that he's here (or, well, somewhere, but at the very least she can hear his voice), she finds that her own words die. She's not sure what to say, after all.

But in the end, after a somewhat long pause, she finally does--]

I'm...so sorry, Near-san. In the end, I left you all alone...

psychic

[canbebrave]

You were not yourself. There was nothing you could do to prevent it.

psychic

[upcard]

Sansa-san...

U-um, you're right, of course, I just...! [There's a pause, and then even more timidly--] I was so different....

[abweichend]

Mai.

[After everything that'd gone wrong over there, it's good to know that some of them were only temporary- Levi'd been expecting this.

But although he's relieved to hear her voice (and the slightly wavering tone that signals her full control over her actions), he can't help being at least a little bit concerned he hadn't seen or heard of her since she and her partner had interrogated him weeks ago.]

Are you alright?

[She's been tough back there, but still... Armin had been tough too.]

[upcard]

[Nah, nothing happened at all, of course. Nothing at all.

But she squeaks at the familiar voice, because this is... this is one of the people most important to her here, and still one of the people she had wronged the most.

She hates that that happened.]

Levi-san, I...! I'm so sorry, I was so terrible to you...!

action;

[sasaeng]

Mai-yaaaaaaaaaah!

[yoorae is just happy to see mai back to her old self. no apologies necessary here. and maybe she's here to brighten things up a little. in her own unique way.]

action;

[upcard]

[She is brightening things up, and Mai is so very glad to see her. She brightens a little despite herself, remembering even now the way she'd been interrogating her.]

Oh...! Yoorae-san, you're okay...! Thank goodness...

[tailforbrains]

Oh my gods, that was you! You, the mean paranoid Defender! You!

[She can't actually laugh on the psychic network, but it sure sounds like she might be, on the other end of the line.]

I can hardly believe it. Even though I saw it! Oh my gods.

[upcard]

[Oh god she's being laughed at, isn't she........ Mai feels so embarrassed and awkward in just this moment. She's even wincing, not that it can be seen.]

Ah... u-um, I... yes...

[It's not like she can duck the responsibility now, can she?]

I'm sorry... it was me.

[Action]

[neverfeltthatway]

[Armin blinks, the transition to liminal space sudden and unexpected. He looks around, vaguely recognizing a jail cell from his time in Brooklyn, a year ago - but quickly becomes aware of his shackles when he tries to stand up.

He turns to Mai, and - noticing how groggy and disoriented she looks - immediately crouches down worriedly next to her, careful not to jostle her too much with their shackles. He puts a tentative hand on her shoulder.]

Mai? Are you all right?

[Action]

[upcard]

[She's so out of it that she doesn't realize that they're connected by a chain at all. Instead, blearily she sits up, brushing her bangs out of her face vaguely.

Ah...

She died, didn't she? She definitely died, and... well. She shakes that off, for now unable to touch that thought.]

Armin-san... [It's mumbled, and then she blinks blearily up at him.] ...Eh? Armin-san? You're here too?

[action]

[wholeheaded]

[ oh no, that... Ambrose hadn't seen her all jaunt (he'd seen so few of them) and he cannot imagine what could have happened to cause Mai such misery. all he knows is that he needs to help.

so he finds her and approaches slowly, crouches down quietly, and gently reaches out to touch her shoulder. ]

Hello, Mai. I'm here.

[action]

[upcard]

Ambrose-san--

[She blinks blearily, lifting her head, and then he's right there in front of her, crouching right there, and Mai doesn't think about it. Ambrose has been the sort of presence who has always been there for her, and she feels as though she hasn't seen him in such a long time--

So immediately, she pushes herself forward, onto her knees, and reaches for him for a hug, hiding her face.

And, in a wavering tone, she can only repeat herself.]

Ambrose-san... I'm... I'm sorry...

[inexecution]

Mai...

[The sound of her voice, the tone of it, reminds him why he dislikes the Trumps. It was fine to use people who were willing to be used--but forcing people to commit acts they never would if they were themselves... it's enough to wish he'd been able to run his sword through more of them.]

It happens to everyone, eventually. Please don't be too hard on yourself.

[upcard]

[Oh...that's a familiar voice. She hasn't seen him in awhile, when she wracks her memory, but there was just so much happening in that last Jaunt, it was impossible to keep track of most anyone.]

Okita-san... [... he's right, and she knows it, but it's really difficult not to hold it against herself.]

...I...didn't know I could be that awful... is that strange...?

[detectivewonder]

Hey. It happens to all of us, sooner or later. You weren't in control.

[upcard]

[There's a familiar--and comforting--mental voice. She feels like it's been forever since she's seen him, so she's distracted from her problems, at least.]

Tim-san! Are you-- you're okay, right?

[fridgeninja]

We all did what we thought was right at the time. It's a good warning for us in the future, but we're not those people anymore, Mai-san. There isn't any need to worry about this.

[upcard]

Seta-san...

[they don't know each other well, but even so... it's good to hear that from him. He does have that sort of presence, after all--calming and comforting.]

Are you....sure? Even though I was really awful to so many people...?

[hakodate]

If I had a ryō for every time someone did something shitty and out of character while infiltrating, I could've finanaced the war myself. Don't beat yourself up over it.

[upcard]

Ah... Hijikata-san...

[Coming from him, it feels like something she should listen to even more, but...it's hard.

It's hard not to beat herself over it. Being that cruel to people is entirely against her nature.]

I... I'll try... but it feels--really wrong... to not take responsibility for it, I mean...

[knightceties]

Wow, I'm impressed! These Jaunts are really something, huh...

Anyway, don't worry about it, ahaha!

[upcard]

Ace-san...! But-- but I was even worse to you...!

[She was kind of a dick.]

Is it...really okay?

action;

[tealeafs]

[ Chizuru doesn't bother mentally replying, instead wandering around until she can spot the other girl all huddled up there. She knows she'd find Mai sulking somewhere, judging by how she's seen the other girl before after nasty things happened. It really does seem like they take turns with this sort of thing, trying to comfort the other the best they can..

Seems like this time it's her turn, huh?

Without saying anything at first, Chizuru sits down next to the girl, staring sidelong at her before slowly speaking up with a gentle smile. ]

Today's Mai-san seems a little different from the usual.

[upcard]

[There's something very relieving about seeing a familiar face that she hasn't seen in what feels like forever. At the very least, Chizuru seems the same as ever, despite that Jaunt, and there's something in Mai that eases to know that.

She lifts her head, blinking.]

Oh...! Chizuru-san, you're okay--!

[...A pause, as the other words sink in, and then she just tilts her head, nonplussed.]

I... do I?