Back with another chapter, this time completely on time! Yay! Honestly I don't understand myself. I give myself two weeks to write this, but most of the time I only get a couple thousand words written over those two weeks and end up writing the rest of it in one hit the night it goes up. Which happens to be the case as I sit here with a headache from working on this for the past eight-ish hours. But at last it is done! Hopefully there aren't too many mistakes since I can't really edit at all now that my head has decided to go to hell, so apologies for any you guys find (even though it isn't all that different to usual I suppose). On another note however, this chapter was not at all what I expected it to be and my mind ran away with a collection of ideas I hadn't considered before now. The beginning was a little awkward to write, although I hope that just adds to the mood, but things started flowing easily by the time I was half-way in and I'm happy with how things turned out in the end. Hopefully you guys enjoy it just as much. Leave a review and let me know if you did! Or if you didn't – I value criticism too!
Review Responses:
Joys: I'm glad you enjoyed how last chapter ended up playing out since it went approximately not at all like I had planned. Thank you for giving me you opinion, it really does help since I'm indecisive by nature. Currently I'm leaning more towards that option, although that could change since we too far into this story yet and I don't want to plan too far ahead but I'll keep you updated on where my thoughts head over time. Thanks for your review as always and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!
Hyuuga Senpai: I'm happy that you think so and are enjoying things. Thank you so much for throwing your opinion in, it really does help with the deciding. I am currently leaning towards their continued interaction after they leave, although it will mostly likely take place in a second fic but I will keep you updated closer to the finish of this fic about what is most likely to happen since nothing is near set in stone yet. You will most likely get to see at least a little bit of them after they get together (since that it something I have noticed as well and find quite frustrating), but I won't make any promises since I have no idea just yet on how things will end up going. Thanks so much for reviewing!
Eirlys Ardene: It is definitely not an ideal way to start the day and i'm sorry that you've had personal experience to understand that since I myself rarely have nightmares these days and can't relate. You're right, it is very easy to miss things that the author writes when reading and re-reading is something I'm also in the habit of doing so you aren't alone in that. I won't spoil anything in regards to the dream so you'll have to wait and see how that progresses, although I enjoy your guesses :) Yes, I could do that and it is an option I entertained briefly but I don't see much merit in. I would have more time to mess around with their relationship but I feel like things will end up dragging along in a way I don't like the thought of and honestly I can't see Mai in the way I've characterised her in this story dropping everything she has back home for a single man, even if that man is Naru. I'd like to imagine that slow-burn is the kind of torture most people can enjoy and I find that the wait and detail of progression makes things all the better off – although the relationship in this particular story isn't slow burn of the degree that I'm used to and is nothing in comparison to my other story so hopefully you find it bearable~ Hmm, it's not that I think I made it hard to get them together – I'm well aware that there is a high enough level of chemistry for it, but it's more like I don't think that two weeks (with not even the entirety of it spent together) is enough time for the level of development I would rather they have when getting together. Right now they know each other well enough from what hasn't changed over five years, but at the same time they now know nothing at all and when they parted originally, Mai was forced to completely reconsider what she knew about Naru because she learned that he wasn't the man she thought she'd known at all. I'll keep you updated when I've figured out more since I can't plan too hard until we get much further into the storyline at current, but thanks for your opinions, they really do help when I'm thinking about things. Thank you, it really does mean a lot and you're right of course. But right now I give myself more than enough time to not feel pressured so don't worry too much. And I can understand your frustration, it's one that I share as well and understand, although sometimes authors post notices on their profile pages instead of individually so if you're ever unsure and you haven't checked there then it's worth a go. I understand your worry over rambling very well since this has also gotten quite long in response. You're more than welcome to send me a PM if you'd like to keep discussing and don't want to keep having such long responses, I'd love to chat more! ^_^ As always, thank you for reviewing and I hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as the previous ones!
Guest: I'm not sure if you missed it, or it wasn't clear enough so I may have to re-state it so that there is no more confusion. This is not a sequel or continuation of Trusting Intuition. Trusting Intuition is by whitephoenix18, a talented writer here on FF, that can also be found on AO3 who is not me. While I have taken the way that Mai and Naru meet again from that story and the idea of Mai as a writer (with their full permission), I have not taken anything else from it. My characterisation is my own and I have no intention to use her OC's (Naru's son Kai being the main OC from Trusting Intuition and not a canon character) in this story either. My goals for this fanfiction are completely different and have been from the beginning. This is a completely different story. Additionally, yes, this story may feel slow sometimes. I've said it before and I'll probably say it another hundred times, I love slow-burn, slow-burn being the English term for when the author takes their time to flesh out the characters and relationships before even considering putting them together romantically. It's my preference to keep things detailed and to follow things through day by day and if that's going to be an issue for you as a reader, then I'm sorry but this is not the fanfiction for you. Thank you for the review however and i'm glad that you asked about things you were unsure about since I'd hate for you to keep on reading expecting something that this story is not intended (or ever going) to be.
Sweet usuko-mamo chan: Thanks so much for reviewing to let me know, hopefully this one is equally as good for you~
CaitHawke4Ever: Haha, of course she does. I'd like to think that Naru's respect isn't completely new-found, but there are just as many times in the anime and manga when he showcases his respect for Mai as there are when he completely disregards any respect for her at all so that ones a little up in the air. And I'm glad that you're enjoying her openness, although she didn't say nearly enough on the subject for any kind of over excitement. Thanks for the review!
Anime-Manga-Music-Lover: I'm glad that you're enjoying things so far. Your prediction is an interesting thought, although unlikely (feel free to continue throwing predictions out there though – I love to see what you come up with!). I won't completely shoot down the idea yet though because my writing tends to get away from me and since the chapter is not yet complete, you never know. Thanks for the review! Update: As I write this, I should say that I believe things turned out better than a kiss or almost-kiss ever could.
Zdraco: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that you liked seeing a different side to Mai. Hopefully you enjoy this update just as much.
Oldfanofanime2010: I'm glad that you don't find the pacing too slow. Personally, I think that Naru liked Mai a reasonable amount from the beginning but had a hard time showing it in the ways we normally would expect, although that is a personal take on the situation. I'm glad that the pace of the two of them seems about right as well since it's vastly different to the pace I'm used to writing between Naru and Mai, though you don't need to worry. I'm almost 100% sure that I will be getting them together properly before the fic ends, everyone's opinions have helped me greatly with that although I'm still toying around with various ideas about hows and whens. Thank you so much for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt
Chapter Key:
"English Speaking"
"Japanese Speaking"
'Thinking'
Chapter Four
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Approaching his apartment building, Oliver pushed open the glass doors to the lobby and quickly made his way inside, waiting for Mai to step inside the elevator before getting in himself and pressing the button for the twenty-third floor.
It was silent between them as they waited, elevator music running in the background that Mai hummed along to, mind far away as she thought about what they'd discussed.
There was part of her that wanted to tell Naru more about her dreams, to explain more about how many things had changed in the time he'd been gone – how her own abilities had grown. But part of her held back, recalling how little time they had.
'There is nothing he can do to help now.' Mai reminded herself, trying to shake the bitterness that she felt when remembering how much she'd had to learn on her own and how difficult it had been. If it was a mere three years ago, she still would have felt bitter, her control still on thin ice even after having to learn to control it on her own without help from the leaders of the parapsychology community who would have been able to help her so much more than those who were left back in Japan.
Her friends had done everything they could of course – but in the end even the monks that made up Bou-san's family had struggled to find ways to help her, unused to the abilities that she displayed and how they had come to be.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realise when they reached the correct floor, Oliver looking over in amusement at her distraction.
"Are you coming?" He asked, raising a brow as the brunette flushed pink.
Shaken from her thoughts, she followed Naru down the hall quickly refusing to dwell further on the subject. It was all in the past and now was not the time for such worrying.
When they came to a stop in front of Naru's door, Mai couldn't help the tiniest feeling of curiosity that she felt, interested in seeing what kind of a home her former boss and friend would live in.
Ignoring her, Oliver unlocked the door and swung it open, stepping inside and immediately toeing off his shoes (a Japanese habit that he'd never bothered to try and shake after returning).
Following suit, Mai wasn't all that surprised to find herself standing in a large open plan lounge room/kitchen/dining area with modern windows along one of the walls. Everything seemed reasonably impersonal as far as styling went and Mai was sure that it hadn't been him that had chosen the furniture – there was too many softer colours for that to be the case. But even so, there were some things that made it clear that Naru lived here.
Instead of a TV, Mai noted, Naru had a bookcase that spanned the entire wall, as well as a large bookcase on either side with couple of recliners and a couple of love seats around a glass coffee table on the right hand side of the room. To her left was a medium sized kitchen with an island bench in the middle, a large dining table seated for eight on the other side before a small hallway with what looked like four doors.
"Would you like some tea?" Naru offered, snapping Mai away from her catalogue of thoughts.
Amused by the question, she smirked slightly. "I would love some please."
Noting the look on her face, Oliver furrowed his eyebrows before recalling just how often Mai had made him tea in the past. It seemed so long ago and at the same time as though it was just yesterday.
Walking into the kitchen he pulled down two mugs and started the electric kettle before opening his cupboard to see what teas he had.
"Would you prefer green tea or black tea?" He asked, noting that he'd need to get some more earl grey soon or he'd run out.
Mai smiled. "Green if you have it."
Nodding in agreement, he set about making the tea, leaving Mai to sate her curiosity further was she wandered over to the bookshelves to browse through Naru's collection, not at all surprised to find that they were filled with various articles and books on parapsychology and the sciences surrounding it. There were a few other non-fiction books there was well but she couldn't spot a single piece of fiction – completely unsurprising.
Finishing up the tea, Oliver walked over to where Mai was still taking an inventory of his books and held out her mug to her.
"Thank you." There was a pointed look to punctuate her manners which made him smirk, although he didn't say anything in response, moving on easily.
"I believe I promised to teach you all about curses and hexes that you might not have learnt about yet." He stated finally. "We can work from the table, it'll be easier."
Walking over to the dining room table that was rarely used unless his mother insists on having a dinner together, he placed his mug down before moving back over to his bookshelves to pick up a couple of the books that he thought covered the topics best, placing them on the table next to where Mai had taken a seat.
Sitting down next to her, he noted with satisfaction that the brunette had already pulled out her notebook and placed a variety of pens and pencils near it to take notes with.
It was a little hard for him to reconcile the Mai that he used to know who liked to learn but didn't pay this level of attentiveness with the Mai in front of him who looked every bit the serious student that she'd come off as over the past couple of days.
"How much have you researched on your own about hexes and curses. I know that when you still worked for me we experienced a couple but the list of them is near endless and I'd rather not go over ones that you already know." Oliver explained, for the first time sounding like the professor that he was.
Nodding in understanding, Mai thought about all the different things she'd read about over the years and listed off a handful of curses that she'd come into contact with since he'd left Japan and the aditional handful that she'd read up on.
"Even though it's an interesting topic I haven't had as much time to research them as a whole before. Usually I find a reputable source to read up on a singular one at a time and use what I learn from it to build my stories around that curse so I don't need to know of a variety. This was a chance to finally learn about more than a few." Mai elaborated.
Accepting her answer, Oliver flipped open one of the books he'd grabbed and scanned over the table of contents, noting which of the curses and hexes were ones that would interest Mai.
"Many of the hexes and curses that are easy to come by on the internet are for witches since they've become increasingly popular over the past years, and they're mostly straight forwards, although their credibility is shaking considering some of what they believe will be adequate enough to cause harm to another person – particularly if the person practising lacks real psychic ability. What they do have that work however are definitely something to look out for..." He started.
Mai took notes immediately, switching between colours easily as time began to fly.
It was strange how comfortable it was to just sit there and listen to Naru explain things, stopping every now and then to give her a chance to catch up with her notes and ask questions.
By the time three hours had passed, Mai hadn't even noticed, too caught up in noting down her tenth major hex onto the top of her fourth page.
Hearing a quiet notification go off on her phone, she gave Naru an apologetic look before opening her phone to check was it was only to freeze when she realised the time.
"Naru when did it become four o'clock?" She asked, voice a little strained as she tried to figure out how time had flown by so easily.
There was amusement on Oliver's face – despite his own shock at how quickly time had flown past – as he rolled his eyes at her reaction. "I imagine it happened somewhere between when we arrived here and now." He teased.
Huffing, Mai pushed herself up from the chair she'd been on, realising how stiff she felt all of a sudden.
"It's time for a break." She announced leaving no room for argument as she stretched.
Watching her, Oliver tried not to follow the strip of her stomach as it was exposed from her arms in the air, relieved when they fell against her sides once more.
Noting that he wasn't going to get anything else done for the moment, he stood as well, heading towards the kitchen with his and Mai's mugs.
"More tea?"
Mai shook her head. "I'll take some water if I can though please?" She enquired.
Scoffing at her awkwardness, Naru agreed easily. Putting the kettle back on for himself, he grabbed a glass and filled it, placing it on the island as Mai took to leaning against it's side, watching him move around and make himself another tea.
"So, how much more do you think we covered in the first two hours than I would have if I'd gone to the lecture?" She asked, curious as to how much more she'd probably managed to learn.
Oliver considered the question for a moment. "We probably doubled the amount of information that you learnt. There would likely have been a curse or hex that she explained in detail that you would've known about which would have wasted some time, as well as the first twenty minutes of introduction to what hexes and curses are, and when they've been used historically that also would have wasted your time." He explained.
That was likely to be true, especially since it wasn't like everything she'd heard over the past couple of days was new information.
"Are you intending to go to the fund-raising ball tomorrow night?" Mai asked, changing the topic to something less work related.
She tried to convince herself that it wasn't because she wanted to see if she'd have the chance to see Naru in a suit although the tiny Yasu of her mind once again reminded her of the truth.
'There is nothing wrong with looking. Only with feeling.' She reminded herself harshly, stamping down the butterflies before they could even consider forming. They were only going to have about another week's worth of interactions any way and then she'd be back home. Maybe she'd manage to keep in contact with Naru this time around but she was doubtful that a long distance relationship was something she could handle.
'Not to mention he probably still doesn't see me in that way.'
It was a harsh reminder but it seemed to do the trick as she focused back on the man in front of her as he turned around from making his tea, the space between his eyebrows pinched in a show of frustration.
"I wish that I could miss the waste of time, but I will be there yes. As part of the main party organising and taking care of the psychology department and this years convention I'm expected to attend and get some of the more rich attendees to contribute money so that we can keep our department alive." He admitted, distaste in every syllable.
It was his least favourite thing to do. There were much more important things he could be doing with his time then entertaining idiots who didn't care for or understand the work that he was doing. Most of them would spend the night throwing their daughters at him or propositioning him themselves. It was all unnecessary and annoying.
Giggling at his annoyance, Mai smiled. "I will be there as well so maybe I can make things a little easier for you. If nothing else you can shake everyone else away for a moment by talking to me. I am a famous author after all, I should count as high profile enough to take away some of your time. Perhaps if you stayed with me everything would be easier to handle." She offered, cursing herself as soon as the words left her lips.
She's practically just offered to go as his date. That is not considered trying to stop her emotions from growing even more. Not at all.
Smirking at the flush of pink that covered the brunette's cheeks, he stopped to consider if Mai realised what she was implying (although the pink that had risen on her cheeks made him suspect that she'd noticed shortly after she'd said it). It was one thing for him to stop and say hello to her and mingle for a while at the ball, another entirely if she were to stay with him the entire night.
It was a tempting offer regardless though. He hated attending these and even just the thought of Mai being there with him made things easier for reasons he wasn't yet ready to acknowledge (memories of how they parted originally weighing heavily on his mind).
"Well then, Miss Taniyama, would you be so kind as to accompany me tomorrow night as my plus one?" He proposed, unable to convince himself to deny the comfort having her with him would be, but unwilling to refer to her as his date in case that wasn't what she wanted.
He'd gotten better with reading emotions over the years – Luella was quite proud – but there was still a lot of uncertainty and he didn't want to pressure Mai into something she didn't want to do.
Smiling widely at the offer, Mai giggled a little as his choice of words but couldn't help the giddiness she felt at the idea that Naru would be willing to go to the ball with her.
"I would be honoured that the Oliver Davis would choose to bring me." She joked, rolling her eyes at the satisfied smirk on his face at her mocking compliment.
Swallowing, she allowed them to dance around the topic of what she was going as easily. There were two more weeks yet to figure things out, no need to rush into anything without thinking.
"More importantly however, we'll have to keep things from Mother and Madoka until the last moment."
His musing broke Mai from her thoughts as she raised an eyebrow at Naru, waiting for him to continue.
Noting her look, he scoffed a little. "Unless of course you want to spend tonight's dinner dealing with the excitement of Madoka and my mother who will have decided that this is my crowning moment of glory and will ask you for details and squeal repeatedly over the subject?" He offered, a pointed look to make sure she understood what he was saying.
Wincing a little as she thought about the two women, he could understand Naru's desire to wait.
"Do you think that when they notice at the ball they'll keep it together for appearances sake since we're in public?" She asked, voice hopeful.
Oliver couldn't help the amused tilt to his voice. "You can dream."
Wilting, Mai accepted her fate and decided that Naru's idea to keep it from them for the moment was definitely going to be for the best.
'At least' She thought, 'if I'm with Naru for the entire night then some of those hopeful women will probably get ideas and leave him alone.'
It was one thing to accept that things will go where they ended up going – it was another entirely to kick the jealousy she felt at the thought of so many women throwing themselves at the man she cared for 'Not love. Maybe once more another day, but not now.'
Unbeknownst to her, Oliver was thinking the same thing, considering how much easier it would be to keep some of the women away from him when they believed that he'd chosen a date.
Sadly however, he had no such hope that the more pushy of the women would still bother him. But he'd take what he could.
For a moment he entertained the thought of Mai getting mad on his behalf but pushed it away easily. There was too much hope in that thought and he didn't get to where he was now by daydreaming.
Thinking of which, it was probably time to get back to work if they wanted to get anywhere else before they left for dinner tonight.
Glancing at the time, he wasn't shocked to see it had been a little under an hour since they'd started their conversation.
"We're meeting at my mother's for dinner at six-thirty so we have another hour to get some more study done if there was anything you'd like to go over." Noll offered.
Mai smiled. "Well I suppose Madoka is right. I have the Oliver Davis' mind to myself for another hour, I had better make good use of it." She teased, heading back towards the table with her glass in hand after refilling it.
"I'm glad you understand. People book months in advance for my time and pay quite the price you realise." He informed her, smirking.
Laughing, the brunette shook her head slightly. "Watch it narcissist. If you let your head get much bigger then you might not fit in the room any more." She warned, voice still joking.
Deciding not to comment further on that, Naru focused on what things they could go over that Mai would find just as interesting to study and that would be helpful to her writing.
He made a mental note to purchase the books that Mai had written as well. He didn't often edulge in fiction however he supposed he would make an exception for Mai. Her work was very well known and factual if nothing else, and based on her dreams if he words from earlier were anything to go by, so there was likely a rather even mix of fact and fiction so it would be easier for him to deal with.
At least that was what he tried to convince himself was the reason for his giving it a chance. Not at all because the woman who had written them was Mai and knowing that he wanted to know as much as possible about her work (and by extension – Mai herself).
Not at all.
"Is there a particular topic that interests you for parapsychology?" Naru inquires, switching gears completely to get away from those thoughts. He'd had enough of emotions for the day.
Mai hummed, thinking about the question for a moment. "I'm always interested in what I can do with my own psychic abilities, but the other psychic abilities people claim to have had over the years are something that I've tried to research but had only a little bit of luck with over the years." She admitted, thinking about the amount of times she tried to understand the concept of being able to control an element such as someone possessing psychokinesis and been unable to wrap her head around it.
Oliver nodded in understanding, moving over to his bookshelves to pull out a couple of books on the different psychic abilities that had been recorded over the years.
"Some of the abilities in these books are questionable in origin and don't have enough evidence backing them for me to take them too seriously, however they're a good starting point for you if you intend to use them to create characters of dilemmas." He warned, placing them down in front of her.
Nodding in understanding, Mai flicked one open and scanned through the table of contents to see which major abilities it mentioned, noting a couple that she'd never heard of.
Before either of them knew it, another hour had passed as they discussed the various possibilities for psychics and how to tell what claims of abilities were more realistic in nature than other's.
Glancing over at a wall clock, Oliver fought back a sigh of disappointment when he realised that it was time for them to be leaving if he planned to make it on time to dinner.
"You can borrow those for the moment." He offered when he saw the longing look Mai was giving the book she'd been scanning over.
Looking up in surprise, Mai bit her lip. "Are you sure it's okay?" She asked.
Noll rolled his eyes. "Would I have bothered to offer if it wasn't?" He pointed out.
Huffing, Mai had to admit that he was right – of course. She'd never known him to do anything he didn't want to short of a good reason (and even then never without argument), so it was safe to assume that he made the offer of his own accord.
After packing up her things, she accepted the book he was holding out to her with a smile, warmth in her chest. If nothing else, she could console herself with the fact that Naru had probably never lent something of his own out to another girl who wasn't Madoka or Luella.
And despite the pettiness in that thought, she couldn't help the satisfaction it gave her.
Stepping out the door, she waited for Naru as he locked up his apartment before he began to lead the way down to the parking garage.
They easily picked up their conversation on psychic abilities as they wait for the elevator, Oliver smirking slightly when he noted that Mai was more informed on the subject then she'd made it sound like.
It reminded him of how unsure she'd seemed when the topic of her visits to the university lectures had been brought up. It was amusing how someone could at one time be so sure of their own abilities and be as confident in themselves as Mai always seemed to be, and yet, worry to the same amount that they aren't good enough to sit through a first-year lecture on a topic they'd had first-hand experience in.
Mai was a walking contradiction and as usual it intrigued him.
"Have you ever considered writing something that was non-fiction?" Oliver asked out of no-where after listening to Mai's theory on why PK-LT was so rare to find in psychics and the possibilities it holds.
The question startled Mai for a moment before she considered the concept. "I've never really given it much thought." She admitted. "Why?"
Naru gave her his best 'are you an idiot?' look and remained silent as they got out of the elevator and made their way into the parking garage, over to his car.
Huffing, Mai rolled her eyes. "Okay, don't answer then." She grumbled, pouting.
"Ask an intelligent answer and I might give you a better response."
Sighing at the charactistic answer, the brunette chose her words more carefully. "Why do you think that I should write something non-fiction?" She tried.
"Why do you think that you shouldn't?" He retorted, unlocking the car and sliding into his seat, smirk on his face as he heard Mai's groan of irritation.
He had to be being difficult to annoy her. There was no other reason for him to answer her question with another question.
"Now who's being an idiot? I don't have any qualifications that would make something I write that's non-fiction valuable." Mai explained.
Noll gave her the most innocent look that he could muster, trying his best not to smirk. "I don't believe I called an idiot, and I don't appreciate the implication that I am one." He informed her, purposefully sounding offended by the idea.
Sighing, Mai fought the urge to stamp her foot in irritation – a habit that she'd thought she had long gotten rid of but somehow Naru brought out in her with ease. Bastard.
"Why do you need to be so difficult?" She lamented, not at all surprised when that didn't warrant a response from Naru either.
Watching as buildings went by, Mai tried to think of what would be the best way to word things to get the best results.
"Why do you think that I should write a non-fiction book when I have zero qualifications in any subject?" She queried after a moment of silence.
This time there was only a moment of silence before Naru responded, this time without the level of difficulty he'd displayed so far.
"I think you'll find that you don't need to have a qualification in order to be credible, although it helps, particularly if you have people in that same field back your work. Any-one can write a book on whatever subject they want and self-publish it these days." He pointed out.
Mai sighed. "I didn't ask if I could – I'm a writer Naru, I'm well aware that I can write a book on whatever I want. I asked why you think that I should." She emphasised.
"Why do you think? You have some interesting points of view and a lot of work in the field of parapsychology to back any hypothesis that you have on different things. As well as the fact that you'd find yourself backed by myself and Madoka, possibly even my father. That's more credibility then most writers get." Oliver explained, amused by how quickly Mai's annoyance had built and even more amused by the noticeable silence that followed his words.
Now that she'd managed to cajole a real answer out of Naru, she found she didn't know what to do with the genuine offer and compliment that she was being offered.
Opening and closing her mouth a couple times, she took a few minutes to gather her thoughts before she ended up just babbling out a bunch of nonsense.
Another five minutes passed before she was sure that she could speak properly, mind still whirling from the possibilities.
Swallowing thickly, she looked over at Naru. "You really think that I have enough knowledge to write a book on parapsychology and explore my own concepts and ideas?" She asked, voice more unsure than she'd ever heard it sound.
"I'm hardly going to suggest it to help you build an ego." Noll scoffed.
Smiling slightly, Mai's voice was soft as she returned to watching the scenery fly by, noting that they were further out of London now and there was slightly more greenery around. "No, I suppose you wouldn't." She agreed.
Silence fell between them again, comfortable as they drove the last five minutes before pulling up in front of a large house that Mai assumed was Luella and Martin's.
Before Mai continued walking up to the door, she stopped at the sound of Naru saying her name.
Turning to him, she tilted her head in question.
"I'm not trying to pressure you. I just want you to understand that if you ever should decide to branch off, I will read over your work and help you." Oliver stated, hoping he hadn't pushed too hard.
Smiling at him, Mai nodded. "I promise – you will be the first one to know if I decide that I want to get out of the fiction world of writing for a while." She promised, a little amused at the sudden change of pace from Naru.
Happy with her words, Noll started off towards the house, Mai keeping up with him easily before they stood in front of the door.
Not bothering to knock – much to Mai's amusement and simultaneous horror (although she shouldn't be shocked by his rudeness now) – Oliver entered, slipping his shoes off and waiting for Mai to do the same before leading her towards the more informal dining room they would probably be using.
As predicted, he entered the room to find his mother and father already sitting down, a glass of wine in front of them both.
"Oliver! I didn't hear you come in!" Luella exclaimed excitedly, cutting off whatever Martin had been saying mid-way through.
Chuckling at his wife's enthusiasm, he waved towards the chairs. "You have better take a seat before your mother gets too excited." He suggested.
Giggling at the blonde woman's attitude that she was quickly becoming accustomed too, Mai took a seat next to Naru who sat next to his father who was at the head of the table this time.
"How was your studying Mai? Did you two manage to get much done?" Luella asked. If not for the tease in her voice that implied exactly what she thought this 'studying' would become – as if they were teenagers making excuses, Mai noted wryly – the brunette would have been warmed by the fact that someone cared to hear about her day.
"It was great, and yes, I did manage to get a lot done. There are so many story ideas running around my mind right now I don't know how I'll manage to sleep tonight and I have pages on pages of notes to show for the afternoon." Mai informed her, lips titling into something of a smirk when Luella deflated a little before smiling kindly and getting over it.
"Well that's great. Hopefully those notes Madoka's getting you will help as well." The blonde tried, knowing when to admit defeat.
Oliver didn't roll his eyes at the two of them – although it was hard not to – and instead turned to his father to ask how things were going for the last day of the convention (or the final day of hell as he'd been melodramatically calling it in his head).
Chuckling at his son, Martin smiled. "Everything is on track. The caterers for tomorrow night's ball are ready to go and will be working hard all day to keep things ready and on-time and the musicians are all accounted for. All that's left to do is make it through tomorrows lectures and then through the rest of the night. The board is hoping for you to secure upwards of a hundred grand tomorrow night for the department." He informed Oliver, tempted to pat his son's shoulder in sympathy at the annoyed look on his face despite knowing that it wouldn't be welcome.
As if summoned by either the annoyance Noll was feeling or by the subject of the ball, the sound of the door opening alerted them to the presence of Madoka and Lin arriving.
Sure enough only a minute later the couple stepped back through the door, the pink-haired woman smiling and greeting them similarly to how Luella had earlier while Lin just nodded to them.
"What were we talking about?" She asked as soon as she took a seat next to Luella, grabbing a glass from the middle of the table and pouring some wine into it before placing it back down.
"Martin was giving Noll the figures for tomorrow night's ball." Luella explained to her friend.
Madoka grinned. "Ah, that explains the irritated vibes I was getting on my way in. If you choose your targets well you'll be able to get that much money out of only a few donors though." She pointed out, trying to give the man at least a little hope.
Not that she didn't enjoy watching him suffer. But there were just some situations that weren't worth her amusement and the ruthless and uncouth way that some of the donors tended to act was something she couldn't bear to wish on people in large doses, let alone Oliver.
He'd be a complete annoyance over the next few days too if that past was anything to go by.
Glancing over at Mai who was asking about how things went usually – having never been to a ball before – Madoka reconsidered.
Maybe he'd be okay after all this year.
It would certainly be worth experimenting over if nothing else. Mai had changed the way Oliver acted in so many situations over the years that Madoka was sure that if she put some effort into it, the young woman was sure to change that too.
Satisfied with her thought process, the pink-haired woman turned back to the conversation, grinning at Mai's excitement.
"What are you wearing to the ball Mai? If you've never been to one surely it must have been exciting to go shopping for your first ball? Or did you decided to rent one out?" She asked.
The brunette smiled at her friend. "I bought one. It was a little exciting to go shopping for it I suppose, but it was more of a hassle than anything." She admitted sheepishly wincing as she recalled just how many items she'd tried on before Masako and Ayako had declared that it was the perfect dress.
Luella made a scandalised noise at the thought of shopping being a hassle.
"You don't enjoy shopping Mai?" the blonde inquired, he disappointment clear in her voice making Mai smile apologetically.
"I don't hate it, and it's fun sometimes. But I don't come from a well-off family and it's a little hard to enjoy something that warrants the spending of large quantities of money on things that aren't necessary."
The way Mai described shopping amused the men at the table almost as much as the look on the faces of women near them.
"You're a middle-aged housewife in disguise. There's no other possible explanation for this." Madoka stated, voice certain despite the awe it held.
Mai laughed at her response, shaking her head. "No everyone enjoys the same things." She reminded them patiently, "And not everyone grew up with the same amount of money to be able to find enjoyment in such activities."
She didn't say that the thought of shopping for herself and not others reminded her of nights when her mother would refuse to eat so that she'd have more food for the next day, and days when she struggled to get by on the energy she had because her last meal had been days ago. It reminded her of school days where her friends took pity on her and bought her something extra for lunch so that she didn't have only a single plain rice ball to tide her over until the next day and nights spent worrying over whether or not her mother would make it as she got sicker and sicker – but couldn't afford the medicine to help herself.
Sensing that Mai's thoughts had taken a turn for the darker – a sight that surprised him though it shouldn't have because he knew she had been through a lot over the years – Oliver drew their attention elsewhere.
"Mai and I have been discussing how she might branch out into the field of non-fiction work, but she seems to be of the opinion that she doesn't have enough knowledge on parapsychology to make it the focus of an entire book while being credible." He informed them all, switching to the first topic that came to mind.
Madoka let out an annoyed sound.
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course you have enough credibility. Although if you're really worried about that then you could always co-author something with someone already credible so that there is no cause for unwarranted disbelief." She suggested.
Mai paused at the idea, mind clearing as she pushed thoughts of her darker days to the back of her mind and focused on their current conversation. Naru hadn't suggested it and she hadn't even considered that it was something she could do but thinking on the idea now it was definitely the best solution to her alleged problem.
Martin smiled at her kindly. "I would be more than willing to suggest some people who might be interested, although if you're visiting BSPR then it's likely you meet plenty of people willing to co-author with you there." He suggested.
"Or," Madoka grinned, "you could botch the idea of writing something with a person you don't know and co-author with Oliver."
Titling his head in acknowledgement, Martin sighed at his friend's meddlesome ways. "That is true. The board has been asking after whether or not you had a new book in the works yet." He admitted, directing his words towards his son.
Noll grunted but otherwise didn't say anything on the topic, a thoughtful look on his face as he considered the options.
"Maybe Mai can make his writing seem a little less dry." Madoka added, teasing.
Glaring at his mentor, Oliver scoffed. "Works of non-fiction are supposed to be dry." He informed her, voice close to being prim in his irritation – much to everyone else's amusement.
Mai laughed despite the fact that she disagreed with both of their statements. She neither found that Naru's work was dry, nor did she think that non-fiction works needed to be. But rather than give him even more reason to be smug, or start an argument, Mai decidedly kept quiet on the subject.
Getting up from her seat, Luella smiled at them. "It's about time for me to be pulling the roast out of the over and getting the plates dished up. You lot stay here and talk shop now so that I don't have to listen to it all the way through dinner." She informed them, laughter in her voice as she slipped out of the room.
"Well then, I suppose we had better get our parapsychology discussions out now then. Although I am quite intrigued by the concept of you and Mai writing a book together. I can see the talk it would cause." He mused, thinking about how surprising it would be – espcially to anyone who had met Oliver and knew how much of a know-it-all he could be.
Madoka laughed, clearly thinking the same thing. "It seems like a perfect opportunity to shake up the community to me." She added, grinning at the thought of the chaos it would cause.
Even Lin's lips twitched. "It would be a good debut to the area of non-fiction writing because Noll often gets a lot of clout by the parapsychology department and other relating areas of study." He couldn't help but point out.
Mai bit her lip at the thought but didn't say anything in response.
There was something in the way that she looked that made Oliver pause. He'd have to ask about it later, but for now it was high time for a subject change. He had said that he wouldn't continue to push the subject and he intended to keep his word.
"Speaking of books however, Mai and I were discussing the concept of PK-LT earlier and the possible reasons for its rarity. She believes that rather than it being 'rare', it might be more of a case that it's so common in such small amounts that it's too frequent for anyone to note that they might have an ability of any kind." He explained the theory that Mai had proposed earlier on that day.
Madoka hummed in thought while Martin made a face that reminded Mai of Naru when he was lost in thought.
"It has it's merits, although I have to wonder what lead you to the idea." Martin mused finally, looking over at the brunette.
Mai shrugged slightly. "It came to me when we were discussing the ways that PK-LT often manifests and the possibilities it presents. For example, one of the ways that it might present is with an ability to understand animals better. I can think of plenty of people I've met over the years that seem to understand animals and be so in tune with them to the point where they may as well be speaking to them. This could of course be a coincidence, but it is also just as likely that they have a small amount of PK-LT that trained itself to be more in tune with animals." She tried to explain.
Nodding in understanding, Martin considered it for a moment while Madoka grinned.
"And you think that you don't have a chance as a non-fiction parapsychology writer. With a thought process like that, I can see why Noll would want you to consider it." She pointed out.
However before the situation diverged once more, the door was opening and Luella wheeled in a cart with plates on it, smiling.
"Alright, now to talk about something else." She informed them with a grin.
Just like that, the rest of the night managed to pass without mention of parapsychology or anything relating to it as they found themselves chatting about places they'd love to travel to and other things they dreamed about seeing, or trying.
Before Mai knew it, it was already ten o'clock at night and she was starting to feel exhausted.
Glancing over, Naru noted this and shook his head, memories of how tired Mai could be and her habit of falling asleep anywhere coming to mind. Recalling the fact that she'd dreamed the night before however, he cursed the fact that he hadn't suggested they leave earlier. It was likely that she'd been overly tired for over an hour now but hadn't said anything.
He thought it'd been odd when she'd started to get quiet.
'It makes sense.' He mused, 'She hasn't slept properly since the night before last so she's probably so tired she can barely sit up.'
"It's time we headed out, mother, or we'll all be too tired to do anything tomorrow." He informed her, leaving no room for argument.
Sighing, Luella nodded. "Of course. Come on then, I'll see you all out." She agreed, already rising from her seat with everyone.
As they walked to the door, Mai smiled, shaking her sleepiness for the moment to wish their hostess a good night. "The food was lovely. Thank you for having me."
The blonde smiled fondly at the polite young girl.
"I'll see you tomorrow Mai. Sleep well."
Waving goodbye to the others, Mai followed Naru back to the car, slipping into the passenger seat while he started the car.
Soon they were on the road, silence between them as Mai tried not to fall asleep.
Finally, Oliver asked what he'd been thinking about since he'd caught her reaction earlier.
"You don't want to write a book with me?" He asked finally, question in his tone, but no judgement.
Mai blinked at the sudden enquiry, shaking the sleep from her eyes.
Biting her lip, she sighed. "You're going to think this is stupid." She admitted after a moment.
Noll made a noise that somehow articulated how stupid he already thought she was, making her roll her eyes.
"I just – I don't want the first thing I write to be accepted on your merits and not my own." She stated finally.
The admission shocked Oliver for a second before he thought about what Lin had said earlier. He could understand where she was coming from – even if he didn't think it was nearly how he viewed the situation.
The logical part of his brain pointed out that there was never a good reason to turn down the chance to get more recognition. In a field of study to heavily criticised, it was always good to take any and all opportunities and use them to the best of your ability. But he could understand where Mai was coming from. She was very independent – always had been from the moment he'd met her – and the thought of riding on the tails of his success didn't rub her the right way.
He found that if the situation were reversed he would probably feel the same way.
However unlike what usually happened at the thought of someone using his success to further themselves, he wasn't surprised to find that he didn't hate the idea. It would seem that as always – Mai was the exception.
"If it helps, he my backing you would have the same sort of effect and I do think that we could write something interesting together." He admitted quietly.
Mai startled at his openness. Was that a declaration of the fact that he wanted to write something with her?
Swallowing, Mai found she wasn't sure how to respond. There was still too much doubt in her mind to give him the answer he might want, but she didn't want to seem like she wasn't grateful for his help and suggestions. Although this was Naru, so most likely he already followed her thought pattern and understood the situation well enough.
As if to prove this thought, Oliver continued easily. "You have time. You don't need make decisions right now, and I'm not going to take away the offer if you decide not to co-author with me until after you've written something on your own. Think everything through and be sure before anything else." He coached.
Smiling fondly, Mai nodded. "Thanks Naru."
No sooner than the words were out of her mouth did Mai spot her hotel up ahead. As they pulled up to the kerb, the brunette got out of the car, bag in hand.
"Thank you for everything Naru. I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well." She wished him, stepping back and waving goodbye before she re-entered the building.
Oliver shook his head at the girl. He should be the one wishing her good night, considering her nightmares. But none-the-less, he took her words kindly before heading back to his own apartment for the night, exhaustion for himself beginning to set in finally.
Tomorrow was going to be a long day and an even longer night, but reminding himself that Mai would be by his side for most of it made him smile.
Perhaps the ball wouldn't be so bad after all.