A trip to Kaneland [Maxi]

Elise couldn't help but smile as Maxi explained the nature of his financial arrangement with his parents about the ownership of this establishment. "It actually is one hundred and eight million, six hundred and sixty thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight with some change I guess~" Elise mused softly as if her answer was meant to be both a joke and a reminder of her bookworm smarts. "I see~ So, in the end, it still becomes Euro, I see you are a fellow man of culture~ No wonder, ever since Brittain left the European Union the British Pound lost a lot of its 'weight'" A hearty chuckle followed in return to her jest when they finally arrived at the main topic of their meeting. But first things first.

Taking a seat at the counter she looked with a hint of curiosity at the milkshake, taking a sip from it upon which she smiled briefly. Seems he still remembered her fondness of Apples, not that it was much of a secret with how much apple juice she tended to drink.

Maxi began his explanation on the changing of his radio silence policy by explaining he felt finally ready to face the consequences of his actions. It was not unheard of in the psychological field that sometimes people needed time to come to terms with certain things they experienced, but in this case it was quite a bit different from a victim coming to terms with the things they experienced. "Hmm..." She mused quietly, tracing the bottom of the glass on the counter as she listened to his request to hear him out. "You have quite a lot of consequences to deal with..." The girl muttered quietly. She had not forgotten the rumored racistic treatment Maxi gave Hachi, or even the outburst he made against the principal, two individuals she admired, and that didn't even take into consideration the reported battle between Maxi and Yoruhi was it? Gods if that happened after the establishment of the disciplinary committee she would have quite the fieldtrip with the paperwork.

Then again, second chances were difficult to earn, but she'd be a hypcrite if she didn't at least give him the opportunity to say his piece. After she brought the milkshake to her lips and took a sip from it the pink-haired lass answered him with her usual calm and gentle voice. "The least I can do is hear you out." However, before he could start she raised a finger into the air between the two of them. "But first, tell me how you have been since your 'untimely' departure from the school. Were you able to stay out of troubles? Been eating and sleeping normally?" Those questions should actually tell Maxi a lot. But nonetheless, here she was listening to the words spoken by the second student to be expelled in the history of the hero academy. Quite a peculiar situation she found herself in, but perhaps it was exactly because of who she was, that she found herself in this situation.

Elise quietly shook the glass containing her milkshake, listening attentively to Maxi's response to her question. It seemed the initial phase after him being expelled from the academy had been a period of hardships. In the back of her mind, the medical side of her upbringing was stirring, and as she quietly sipped from the milkshake she pondered. So he was troubled by his actions, the weight and severity of his behavior and misdeeds having left him with the pressure of guilt. Understandable, if the school desired to, they could have easily filed charges for assault against Yoruhi, possibly even worse if there had been malice involved.

And so Maximillian Tychus Kane found his escape from that guilt by means of labor, a logical explanation. People often tried to find distractions to push away the more troubled thoughts that haunted them. Some might seek to do sports, others might delve into their educations with unhealthy zeal, and others dedicated themselves to their work to the point exhaustion made it quite difficult to even think back about the past.

"So you ran away from your past and avoided being confronted by it by dedicating yourself to your new business endeavors?" She didn't sound judgemental, the question might have sounded more like a psychologist talking to their client as if to make Maxi look back at his past actions and figure out for himself why exactly he didn't want to remain among teenagers anymore.

She took another sip from her milkshake as Maxi explained that in the wake of his business endeavors he obtained quite a budget which he invested into real estate if she didn't know better the teenager before her was talking like a businessman. It made sense, renting real estate had always been something of a popular method to earn money. Even generations ago it was not unheard of for a family to buy an apartment and rent it out, certainly it was an investment that only showed rewards in a longer term, but people always needed a place to stay at, and with this approach it was a long term plan that Maxi had set before himself, the focus on the financial side of things being mildly amusing to her

"Careful Maxi, money might earn you comfort, but it doesn't bring happiness~" Elise chimed softly as she took a sip from her drink while the young man clarified further that he had not had any run-ins with the law in the wake of being expelled, although the words that followed about having let go of his resentment and racism made Elise muse quietly. "Is that so?" Placing the milkshake onto the counter the young lady gazed straight at him. "Merely being exposed to the good side of things isn't a wonder medicine Maxi, like you mentioned at the end, 'the majority' suggests that there is still a lingering phantom of those feelings, correct?"

She gently leaned forward a little, her eyes locking with Maxi as she shook her head lightly. "There is no need to try to be a saint in that sense Maxi, you're a human being, it be unusual if negativity never found its grasp on you. I am no exception to this rule, even now after all this time I still resent Thunder Shock for his crimes, I hate every fragment of his existence, but here is the thing Maxi. The true challenge is in figuring out how to deal with those emotions. I could have acted upon that destructive impulse of hatred and hunted him down, leaving my loved ones troubled and worried about myself, and of course becoming a criminal in the eyes of the law."

She closed her eyes and leaned backward, her lips curving upwards into a gentle smile. "In my case, I overcome my hatred by focusing on the warmth that surrounded me, I dedicate myself not to harm, but to heal. All those years I promised Tetsu I would become a doctor that could save her from any injury, and I intend to keep that promise."

She paused for a moment, a chuckle escaping her lips as she scratched the back of her head. "Although coming to terms with such negativity is indeed not a thing people do within a few days." She placed her hands back on the counter and continued. "Let us presume you came to terms with your resentment and racism, what about your own deeds? Have you come to terms with those?"

She seemed to carry a more heavy weight with her tone, as if to make him recall the severity of his actions. "Also, as shown throughout history actions speak louder than words. How do you intend to make up for those actions of your? Your outburst against the Principal, your rasistic remarks against Hachi-sensei, your violent aggression toward Yoruhi. Surely you don't expect the passage of time to make one forget such transgressions?"

She reached for the milkshake, taking another sip from it. "In order for you to truly be able to put this part of your past behind you, you will have to take responsibility for your actions. You are no longer a child Maxi, actions have consequences, and as an adult in this society, you need to carry the weight of those consequences. The only ones who ignore those consequences are cowards who are too terrified to be confronted with them, and villains who don't care about the consequences."

She finished the milkshake after a final sip. "Surely you must have some form of plan, or thoughts about how to confront the consequences of your actions?"

After all, in order to earn forgiveness, Maxi would first need to face those shadows of his past, to take responsibility for his transgressions, and possibly be given a second chance as a person. "Phew~ All this talking makes me thirsty, fill one up again Chef~"

She hummed in a mildly jesting tone as she slid the milkshake glass back toward Maxi while awaiting his response. At the very least it seemed Elise was willing to hear him out on the events that had happened, and whether he planned to do anything about it.

After she had spoken her piece she had gone quiet, allowing Maximillian to give his response to the statements that were given. In the end, it was only natural that in a proper conversation between adults, that she gave him the opportunity to provide his side of the story. Elise hated nothing more than to base her decisions and opinions on partial information, it was why she was so adamant in the fact that even as the shinobi serving as Spymaster's successor, that she still allowed her own decisions to be made based on the information she obtained, and her feelings relevant to the matter.

"Thank you~" Elise mused softly as Maxi slid the cup back toward her, inwardly her mind was trying to figure what the consequences would be. She might have not the power of foresight, but she could anticipate some things. Tetsuko, for example, was a person who valued actions over words and would without a doubt require a more throughout convincing by means of his actions rather than explanations. The school? He likely would need to forget about that, aside from the fact it was incredibly rare for an expelled student to be allowed to return to the same school, a high profile place like the hero academy came with so much media attention and government involvement, that it was doubtful they would want to take the risk.

As he responded Elise nodded her head lightly, so he tried to run away from his past, desperately trying to avoid being confronted by it, and yet if there was one thing Elise knew then it was... "You might be able to run away from your past, but you can't escape it Maxi. There will always be traces, whether it's paperwork, reports, rumors, or those personally involved." She took a gentle sip from the milkshake and then continued her response. "That it why it is important to someday confront it. You're correct in your statement that money can make problems go away, but the act of bribery to make them disappear is a dangerous path to traverse."

Indeed, what if the ones who had their problems disappear, only made them disappear for a while? What if they came to demand more money from Maxi? It was a saying her father often taught her: Money makes life easier, but it buys you neither happiness or true friendship. She could only hope that the young man in front of her would realize the same thing her father had been trying to teach her all those years ago.

Ah right, there was a bit of the side to Maxi that she was worried about. "Indeed, there might be people who look unfavorable upon you, others who might not care. But what is it that 'you' want Maxi? To let the former get to you, to stir those memories of the past, or to show those people that you're better? That you're not the type of person they made you out to be."

"Hmm..." She paused for a bit, allowing her hand to go free from the base of the milkshake cup and instead tapped her cheek lightly. "It is the harsh truth that the current state of things makes not just the hero academy, but the hero program as a whole incredibly competitive. If you fit in or excell, you can ride the wave and feel like you have a glorious experience, but what about those who are not among the top with their peers? They struggle finding their place, they lose sight of the importance of 'what they have and can do', too focused and obsessed with the gaps between themselves and their peers. It's a problematic situation..."

Elise shook her head lightly as he continued, letting him explain how he felt like he was neglected entirely. "Popularity is like beauty in the eye of the beholder. You mention respect, popularity, recognition for your strength. Those things aren't claimed by force Maxi, at least not true respect, it's earned, but like I mentioned, the competitive nature of the hero program makes it that there is way too much focus played on raw strength alone."

She reached back for the cup, pausing as she listened further to his explanation. Like she had expected, there had been outside influences that compiled to Maxi's stress, which finally gathered all together in the outburst that led him to get expelled from
the hero academy. Her expression remained calm, listening as he explained how Yoruhi's provocations had finally escalated into the fight that everyone knew about.

The lighting up of the cigarette only earned a brief blink from Elise, who had not known Maxi smoked, but she disregarded the detail, having been used to such things after her meeting with Kanna in the past. She pulled her milkshake a bit closer, although noticing the unusual manner the smoke moved and felt a bit glad that there was still that side of Maxi that she knew from back then, a side that still cared about others.

"And there we have the full story now~" Elise mused softly, taking another sip from the glass as she started speaking. "Before thinking of the results, think of what you 'should' do. Let us theoretically focus on those things. Whatever you might have said to Hachi-sensei in the past, do you think her to be that cruel that she won't at least hear you out? If you were to ask my opinion, showing that you are genuinely apologetic for your action will be your first step forward, whether she forgives you or not, it shows that you are committed to doing the right thing."

She tapped a hand lightly against her cheek, thinking a bit further. "Yes, I doubt that even I could put in enough of a good word to allow you to return, disregarding the opinion of the faculty and the student body, the hero academy has a lot of attention both from the media and the government, if anything the decision would be in the board's decision that oversees the school."

Then there was the matter of Yoruhi, which she shook her head at. "Still remains a matter of showing who is the more mature out of you two, someone who admits their wrongs, even if he is partly to blame, is more of an adult than one who refuses any form of reconciliation. You're not expected to suddenly become best buddies."

Yet the last part was one she had expected and was prepared for, pulling a hand in her pocket she mused softly. "The reason you have no way of apologizing to him is because you, just like those who hate you, are blinded by a cliff forced upon humanity by racism. You forget that the two of you are, at their base still human beings."

She pulled out the paper of the news article surrounding the 'miraculous' surgery she had done a few months ago. "You likely seen it on the news, did you know my patient was one of the very soldiers that shot me during Semper Fi? You must be wondering why I'm crazy enough to tend to a man who tried to kill me. The answer is simple Maxi: Because divided our society will fall."

She shook her head firmly as she continued. "Fiends like Thunder Shock, villains like Abbandon WANT you to start hating each other, and by letting those feelings cloud your judgment, you're playing exactly in the cards of those villains. I decided to try to break that cycle of violence and racism by saving that soldier, and it paid off. Even now I hear how more and more of his former comrades are joining various volunteering efforts to unite Quirkers and Quirkless people."

She grasped for the milkshake, finishing it with a long sip as she continued to address the final matter of their conversation. "About the Principal, if not for his clearance for us to defend ourselves, quite a few of us might have died that day. Kobayashi Touma takes a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, but in the end he is still a human being. So tell me Maxi, are you going to try to deal with this as a fellow human, or will you let your emotions make yourself a puppet to the schemes of villains?"

She lowered the glass back on the table and smiled calmly. "I believe you're better than that. It's why I decided to come here to hear your side of the story. Certainly, the world might had seen that violent and racistic outburst of yours, but I recall the playful and charismatic teenager who cared about others and who he tried to help in his own way, the same teenager I tended to in the infirmary that day."

She leaned back in her seat, musing softly. "But you do have a long road ahead of you if you are brave enough to overcome your past. But it's not a road you walk alone. Just remember, actions speak louder than words."

Maxi's inquiry about whether anything would ever change or not left the girl quiet for a moment. Change was something difficult, especially a positive change. It was perhaps even more difficult when that change had to come within. For a moment she closed her eyes, trying to think carefully on the matter. "Change is a very difficult thing to accomplish. However, I firmly believe that there are things that can change. The main obstacle is that such a change needs to be set into motion. Someone needs to want this change to happen, and in this case, the change you desire partly is depending on you also."

Elise listened attentively to Maxi's words, his decision to call her 'girl' when she was as a matter of fact older than him being mildly amusing, yet she didn't show it at all in her expression. No, instead she took in consideration Maxi's belief that he would always be judged as a second Nick Cross, the traitorous student who turned into a terrorist. But to this Elise could only sight audible. "Actually there has been close to no talk about you after your departure. Perhaps some credit to your claims that you stayed out of trouble." She opened her eyes and gazed quietly at him. "..." A light shake of her head followed as she resumed speaking. "There is no need to lecture me on the cruelty of teenagers. Remember, I'm the one who till a year ago had the o so wonderful Quirk that caused her bodily fluids to regenerate any injury. Quite an amusing punching bag, right?" She spoke in jest, although there was a certain coldness to the joke. "And yet, let me ask you another question: What about the kind boy you send to deliver that cake? What about Kouta-kun? He is a teenager, just like the others of his age, and yet in your blind hatred you're readily painting him under the same brush as those who have wronged you."

She leaned back against her seat, listening further at how Maxi expressed his thoughts about feeling the need to apologize at least to Hachi and the Principal. Yet as he resumed speaking about the other students she couldn't help but sigh audibly. "There you go again, painting everyone under the same brush. However, has it never occurred to you that the problem might not only be found among the teenagers but the system in general? Then why I wonder, have you never considered trying to change the system? Instead, you closed yourself off from those seeking help from those sharing similar concerns."

She raised her hands onto the table, locking her hands together while resting her chin on them to look at Maxi. "Do you want to know why you never did that Maxi? Because deep inside you are afraid of even trying. Which surprises me, to be honest, I never took you for a coward."

She sighed gently, pressing her hands against the counter while contemplating her next choice of words. "Your concerns about the system are shared by quite a few people. Yes, even someone like me can see just how flawed the system is. Yet, as long as you're lamenting your own problems, you won't change a thing, either for yourself or for the system. Not that I blame you for not wanting to try to change the latter, it's a long and complicated process. But in time it can change. But what do I know~ I'm not a hero, never intended to become one either. You know why Maxi? Because in a certain way we are similar."

Words that would surely surprise him. Still, Elise has never bothered to deny it, the fact that she always had her priorities. "I always placed Tetsuko on the first spot, followed closely by my friends, helping others is merely a positive byproduct of those priorities. In that sense we are similar: I do not care about strangers if I help them it usually is simply convenient for me. All things considered, I'm quite a selfish young woman, right?"

A momentary moment of silence followed as she stretched her arms forward over the table, attempting to flick the teenager's forehead lightly. "Nonetheless, you have your own path to walk, your own choices to make Maxi. All I can do as your friend is give you advice on how to proceed, what you end up deciding to do with it is your choice."

But there was still a point that needed to get discussed, one she felt important to mention. "But you are no Nick Cross. Nick Cross was a traitorous student who later was revealed to be a terrorist, a man that act purely out of malice and his own interests. But you Maxi? When I look at you right now I see a conflicted teenager who is lost in this labyrinth we call society."

Indeed, if Maxi had been Nick Cross he would likely have had to deal with several impalement attempts by now, rather than her sipping a milkshake. "Also a word of cautious, I'm turning nineteen next month, which means I am your senior in age 'boi'" She smirked at Maxi at her jest and after a moment decided to let him in on one more detail. "Although, if you're wondering, I myself am not staying at the hero academy anymore..."

Indeed, her path had become a different one to traverse. "Quite a lot of things happened, and as I mentioned, there are people trying to force a change into the system, I'm one of those people. And before you ask, no I'm not going to visit your shop in a suit so you can chuckle at me. I still feel awkward about wearing one, always liked to dress more girlish I guess, but if I show up dressed like a ninja, or wearing a fancy dress people will likely start asking questions." She chuckled weakly before she muttered softly. "You do know taking that many reduce the medicine their efficiency right?"