Notes: The classic person-hears-about-person-and-encounters-person-unknowingly. Also, it's my version of the scene in Oishi's heart where Mayura runs into Frey and he goes, "She is SO my type!"
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Eric asks Mayura something one day, and she listens to him because there's really nothing else she can do in this place.

It's not like the Maram masters would let her go off and spend time at the library whenever she gets bored. She likes Eric, anyway-there's a sort of lonely despair that follows him around, and it makes her feel better about being so angry because at least she's not quite so pathetic about it.

"I know this is strange to ask of you-but please try not to get Frey hurt."

"I'll try," she tells him automatically with the emotionless, almost alien voice she uses so frequently now.

He nods and leaves.

But after a while, after the darkness and the loneliness and the anger bore her out of her mind, a different question surfaces.

What does Frey look like-blonde? Darkhaired? Redhead?

Why does Eric care about him? Plans for revenge? Some vestige of affection? His own reasons?

Who is Frey?

And the words come out in answer, clumsy and halting and uncertain, like she's forgotten the words to her favorite song.

"Who is... Frey?"

"Watch out for Mayura-she's been taken over by Darva," Kyo warns Frey after most of his heat exhaustion subsides.

Frey nods and says he'll be careful-he's not representing his home sanctuary because he's an idiot.

But after looking around in the building for hoursminutesseconds, checking doors and knocking on them and unlocking them if he needs to, something makes him slow down and it's not the heat.

He doesn't know what Mayura looks like.

How can he watch out for someone he's never seen?

And then, without warning, someone runs into him and nearly knocks him over.

It's not every day you come across people-people people-in someone's inner heart, especially since Oishi's heart is a dried up, scorching desert with only the one apartment complex for shelter.

"Watch where you're going," the girl snaps at him.

"Sorry, I was looking for someone."

She scoffs and mutters something suspiciously scornful.

"...Hey..." the word comes out spontaneously and startles both of them. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Why are you so preoccupied looking for someone?"

"Are you Mayura?" Frey feels something pulse, something dark and twisting and angry that instantly puts him on guard.

"What's it to you?"

Something in her voice practically dares Frey to mention Kyo, but Frey gets the feeling that if he does, he will most likely regret it. So he says instead, in the most non-threatening voice he can manage, "Alice told me to look out for you."

"...Are y-you... Frey...?" Something is different with her voice. It's halting and broken now, like she's forgotten how to speak-or something is stopping her.

"Yes. I'm Frey."

She looks at him curiously, as if just realizing that he's standing there. All of her scorn is gone, just like that.

He looks back at her warily-is she tricking him? Catching him off guard by pretending to switch personalities?

"...You're the same-as me. It's not-f-fair... for us..."

And then, switching back to her former persona, she turns on her heel and runs off.

Like a smart person Frey just stands there, mouth agape and confused out of his wits.

How does she know my name?