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[h2][color=AD3A3A]Maya[/color][/h2][/center]
[hr][center][h3]~6AM | KAMAKURA | [s]MORON CENTRAL[/s] GENJIYAMA PARK[/h3][/center][hr]

As soon as the nerd started talking, Maya regretted asking; not only did he give a few paragraphs when a sentence would probably do, but she realized as he spoke that his insight probably wasn’t gonna be all that helpful. After all, even if this dude [i]could[/i] see ghosts, how did they know he’d be helpful? He might not be able to tell the difference between a lost spirit and a lost tourist, and hell, he might not even want to talk to them. 

Meanwhile, the rock star-looking one seemed to find something more concrete, pointing them towards the Southwest. Where, as it happened, some guy with clothes over his shoulder was making a beeline straight for them. 

Not sure if Sparky should be credited with his quick work or if he just pointed out the guy obviously walking toward them, Maya stared at the dude skeptically as he made his way over; she’d been dead long enough by now not to expect anyone to see her, let alone approach, and honestly, it felt a little weird to be picked out of a crowd. But he was definitely coming for them; there was nobody behind them he could have been going after, and his eyes were set right on them. 

Placing a hand on her hip as he went into his spiel, Maya’s expression returned to one of abject boredom - the novelty of being [i]seen[/i] and [i]spoken to[/i] wore off when he started giving bland directions. Jesus, if she wanted to be dictated to like an employee she would have just stayed at the office today. She’d admit it was kinda funny when the realization hit him that he was talking to dead people - by the looks of it, not a [i]new[/i] realization, but unwelcome nonetheless - and then, even funnier, he tried to give [i]them[/i] tips. Ha!

Of course, Achilles the Brainless piped up before anyone else got the chance, with something more liable to make buddy panic than to help. Rather than scold him, Maya simply shot him a sharp look and wrenched her hammer from his grip, begrudgingly accepting her new apparent role as the Team Mom as she let it dissipate into smoke. Bless his heart, it seemed like he was doing his best, but pretty and dumb were a better combination at a frat party than on a field mission. 

[color=AD3A3A]“Don’t listen to him,”[/color] she excused offhandedly, rolling her eyes. The ghost-seeing dude’s comment that sparked the whole thing was kinda funny, though, in a fucked up way. What, was Miss Death hiring the living now, too? The dude just got here and he was already doing a better job of Reaping than anyone on the job today. Or hey, maybe he was a Reaper who decided to take an extended vaca--

Her thoughts were stopped dead in their tracks when the guy did his little hair flip, the strangely familiar gem on his earring - [i]ohmygodwhothefuckwearsasingleearringanymore[/i] - catching her attention. Brow furrowed and looking more pissed than confused, Maya stepped forward and waved her hand out in front of her, phasing right through the guy’s chest as if he wasn’t there. Or, rather, as if [i]she[/i] wasn’t there - he was definitely mortal, so what was he doing with [i]that?[/i] 

[color=AD3A3A]“Is that a… where the fuck did you get that?”[/color] she asked incredulously, pointing at his suspiciously weapon-core-looking earring. Was she imagining things? She didn’t know a mortal could possess a weapon core - not that there was any reason she knew of that they couldn’t, but it didn’t seem right. 

Staring for another moment, Maya finally closed her eyes and took a breath, resolving that [i]that[/i] whole debacle was above her pay grade. Right, she had some confused asshole to find, and then she could go make sense of that paperwork nightmare later. 

[color=AD3A3A]“You know what, whatever, I don’t care,”[/color] she sighed, waving the thought away. She put her hand back on her hip, gesturing lazily with the other. [color=AD3A3A]“Don’t worry, we’re not here for you. We just wanna know if you’ve seen a confused-looking dead guy wandering around by the shrines, and then we’ll be out of your hair. Ring any bells?”[/color]

[@Hero] [@OwO] [@PapiTan] [@dragonmancer]