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Yeah!

[ and she stiffly walks past yu, though at least she's smiling?!?!?!? everything's fine. she's thinking too much. and she's secretly thinking and hoping that widget doesn't blurt out what she's currently thinking. she can already be embarrassing enough, she doesn't need widget to add to what she's already feeling. ]

Oh, but I meant what I said, okay? You're a true friend.

[ Well, alright. He joins her as they resume their walk to the ice cream shop. ]

You too. [ In a weird way, he feels better about what he has to tell her now. Like... he was right to trust her. ] Just promise me you won't laugh at what I have to say. [ He says it with some humor. ]

[ being a psychology expert, she already knows that people who start with "ok, but don't laugh..." are about to tell a funny story. still, she doesn't look at all ready to laugh. she keeps her poker face on. ]

You can count on me. I'm good at hiding what I'm feeling.

[ ATHENA, THAT'S NOT HELPING!! ]

[ He gives her an odd look, and then...

... bursts out laughing, though for Yu that's a quiet sound even so. ]

That's not... you don't have to do that. It's probably a story that deserves to be laughed at, anyway... I don't want you to hide how you feel.

H- Hey, don't laugh!

[ SHE IS SO OFFENDED RIGHT NOW. ]

But if you want me to laugh at you, then I'll totally do it!

Sorry, sorry! [ A few more chuckles. ] That's just so like you. I don't want you to laugh or anything! Just ... be yourself, Athena. That's all I've ever wanted you to be.

[ He'll just lead them to the ice cream shop after that, keeping up a steady stream of safer chatter. And since the ice cream is on him... ]

What can I get you, anyway?

[ jesus christ. yu. it's unreal how you can sound so romantic. athena just stares at him for a few good moments before she starts walking again. shake it off, cykes. just shake it off. ]

A croissant a la mode!

[ you asked. ]

[ It comes naturally.

He gives her a look of some small uncertainty at that as he steps up to the counter. ]

Do you think they have that...?

[ But he places the order nonetheless, relieved when the girl behind the counter doesn't seem perturbed by it. He places his own order for a plain cup of vanilla ice cream. ]

Your tastes are pretty varied, huh?

[ she looks back at the sign from outside. not that she can read what it says now, but...! ]

I just saw it outside and thought it looked good. It's worth a try, right?

[ He laughs. ] Adventurous, too. Then again, I guessed that from a night spent camping out in the library. Too bad that didn't turn anything up, huh...?

[ Yu pays once their orders are ready and hands Athena hers. ] Come on, why don't we find a table?

Tell me about it. [ she sighs and walks further into the cafe to find a table. ] It's so difficult to find information in this place.

But I guess things like these don't come easy. It's the same back at home.

Not without significant risk. [ Said somewhat quietly. He's been thinking about taking the fight to CERES, but he knows the cost of doing so... ]

What was it like back home? [ Asked as they manage to find themselves a table and sit down. ]

As normal as it can be! [ she says with a confident grin. that's a lie, though. nothing about athena's version of los angeles is normal. ]

People committing murders, boss and I defending them, [ oops, she forgot about apollo. ] magic shows on the side...

... you and your boss defend people who commit murders? [ Kind of blinking at her. He has a feeling there's more to that than what it sounds like. ]

Oh, no! No, no— [ she blinks a couple of times. was it something she said? probably. ]

We defend people who are in need. But I'm pretty sure my boss has had a client before who was guilty, though...

And I'm pretty sure he did the right thing.

[ That gets Yu to grin. ]

I don't doubt that. Who is your boss, anyway?

Phoenix Wright.

Do you know him?

Oh, sure I do. We met back in Ardeo's volcano. He wanted me to put some pants on one of my Personas.

[ why do you say it so nonchalantly? ]

Pants...? [ wait, she doesn't know a thing about yu's. persona yet. ] Persona? What?

[ Because that's how he does everything.

He looks slightly taken aback at this, though. ]

You don't know...?

[ A beat. ] You don't know. Huh. I guess I just figured you somehow would. Where do I start...?

[ He rubs a hand over his mouth. ] It's my power. It's ... like magic? [ No it's not. ] I can summon certain beings to help me in battle. It's how I fight. I don't know how I never told you.

[ heh, looks like these two need to talk more about their lives and not just serious things going on. she smiles as she listens, even nodding as she commits the information to her memory. ]

You know, in psychology, Persona is what you call your projected personality.

I had to write so many papers about it, anima and animus, and shadows.

[ His eyes brighten, and he becomes a bit more animated. She understands! ]

Yeah, that's it exactly. A Persona is a manifestation of a part of myself, though you could say it's a manifestation of my bond with another person. Most Personas are born out of the user confronting their Shadow, actually, though I never faced mine. It's usually pretty hard to explain that, though... most people get tripped up on the "piece of myself" part. [ He says it with a bit of a laugh. ]

They probably just don't get it like I do!

[ it's really fun talking about psychology, and yu might notice that athena's really enjoying herself with this conversation. widget's display changes from its default blue to green, with a huge smile on the face it's displaying, too. ]

But you said you confront your Shadow? [ she cants her head. ] It must have been tough to do that.

Seems that way.

[ His expression softens around the eyes. This is why he likes Athena. She just kind of gets it. He doesn't miss the way Widget lights up, either, and it privately amuses him.

Yu nods rather seriously at her question. ]

All of my friends did, yeah. Not only is it tough, it can be really dangerous. Facing your Shadow... means facing all the darkest parts of yourself that you never wanted to see. [ Yu sits back in his chair, letting his gaze move up to the ceiling for a moment. But then he smiles, sitting up again. ] But we were all there for each other, and everyone made it through just fine.

[ she doesn't fully understand what a shadow is in yu's world, but she's just basing her own interpretation of it with her knowledge of psychology. athena wonders what her shadow must be like... and it's because of that that the ice cream that she was supposed to put in her mouth falls to the table instead. ]

Oops.

[ now back to yu. ] It's good that you have your friends with you, though. And that you're there for them, too. Sometimes, facing the darkest parts of yourself can lead to permanent trauma.

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