Psychology wasn’t a topic that she knew much about. Fortunately for Sophia, the library held enough introductory textbooks for her to get some understanding of it. Carrying a few of those as well as some abnormal psychology books, she sits at a table. With a mountain of books by her side, she looks a little overwhelmed. There was no way that she would be able to help Lance with his Oni problem when she hardly even knew the basics. The high schooler probably looks a bit out of place for among a stack of books more appropriate for someone in college. Giving a heavy sigh, she picks up the first one, skimming for the term “Dissociative Identity Disorder”. She’d probably pick out some of the more useful ones to take home with her.

If a high school girl looked out of place in a public library sifting through stacks of psychology books, a young man in the black cassock of a Catholic seminarian probably looked equally out of place, especially in a country where his faith was far from the majority. But he had papers to write, and comparing secular psychological analysis to theological anthropological principles wasn't something came naturally to... Well, to anyone, really. Sure, the seminary had plenty of textbooks available, but sometimes a change of scenery was nice. And the tendency of people to leave him alone when he went out in public wearing his clerical blacks meant that he could usually be assured of a quiet study time.

And that's when, in the course of flipping through books, he took notice of Sophia somewhat clumsily making he way through the book selection. And while he was in more of a "keep quiet and study alone" sort of mood, curiosity got he best of him this time around.

"Excuse me if I'm intruding," he said politely, "But I can't help wondering... What exactly are you looking for? This isn't a section I typically expect to find a girl like yourself browsing through. Maybe I can even be of some help?"

He offered his best inviting smile, closing the book he had been flipping through as he offered his assistance.

Sophia looks up from her book to see who was addressing her. Definitely not a librarian from the outfit. Sophia’s parents were never the religious sort, so while she recognizes him as a member of a Catholic clergy, she can’t tell anything as far as position in the church.

“Yeah, I guess this isn’t exactly light reading material,” she says, closing her own book and placing it on the stack. “I wasn’t entirely sure where to start really, so I just grabbed a bunch of things that seemed to be on the subject.”

She rubs the back of her head, trying to figure out how to explain the topic and her interest in it. Despite not being Catholic, she doesn’t feel right about lying to a priest though. “I’m looking for stuff on Dissociative Identity Disorder. I suspect I might know someone with it. However, I don’t know too much about psychology, and this seems kind of complex.”

Itoi smiled warmly as Sophia explained her interest in the books. So, that was it -- she had a friend suffering from a disorder. He thought the girl might be in a bit over head with subject matter like that, but he couldn't help but smile at her show of concern and her attempt to help. Of course, Itoi wouldn't fare any better, but he probably knew about as little as Sophia did. Still... A future priest should know how to lead and encourage, right?"

"Well I'm sure your friend is lucky to have people like you looking out for him," he said in his kindest tone, "I can imagine it's a bit strange, seeing a friend suffer from something you don't understand.. Learning a little more about it would probably help give you some peace of mind."

He turned his eyes back to the bookshelves, quickly scanning the rows in front of him. Sure, he wasn't a psychology scholar, but writing enough college and graduate level papers had at least given Itoi a knack for spotting "the good ones," those books that seemed like they'd be packed with the best information. Finally, the seminarian reached up and pulled a book down from a shelf just above his head, flipped through it briefly, and handed it to Sophia.

"Call it a hunch, but I feel like this one might give you some good starting material. Has this friend of yours seen a psychologist? Professional help can go a long way with these things."

He felt a little odd, trying to give advice to a girl he'd only met moments ago, if you could even call it "meeting." But, this was to be his future, right? A priest was expected to offer all kinds of wisdom to all sorts of people, right? Maybe this was just practice...

“He seems to be coping pretty well on his own so far, so I’m not sure I’ll be much help to him. I don’t think he quite understands what is going either though. I mean, it happened suddenly rather gradually,” Sophia elaborates. Really, it happened in the few seconds that it took to activate a henshin item. Then his life was torn in three and fundamentally altered.

She watches the priest as he looks through the stacks and returns to her a book that escaped her initial search. She flips through it, and it did seem to have quite a bit on the topic. “Thanks. And no, he hasn’t. The situation is kind of complicated… And I’m not sure he’d be too willing nor would the others.” Complicated was putting it lightly when one of the personalities couldn’t speak past grunting, the other seemed to take control as he pleased, and all three were super-powered.

“I think we’re both worried that he’ll be stuck this way forever now though. As well as he does with it, he’s not all too happy about it.” She sighs, “Hopefully, there is something interesting in here that I can relay back to him.”

She looks up at the priest and realizes that she has a unique opportunity to speak about another one of her friends. Peter used to be a Catholic. Perhaps he could give insights as to how to purify his soul from corruption. “I don’t mean to bombard you all my problems, but do you have time to talk? I don’t often get to the opportunity.”

Sophia said that her friend seemed 'to b coping pretty well on his own,' but given the concern she seemed to have for him, Itoi wasn't entirely convinced that was true. She was worried, he wasn't thrilled, and they were concerned there was little they could do. That didn't sound like coping well, at all.

"Well, I know he might not exactly -like- the idea of seeking professional medical help, but... If you're worried about his condition becoming worse or even permanent, I would strongly suggest it. A trained psychologist could do more good for you than I could, for certain."

He was chastising her a bit, but he made sure to keep a warm smile and a friendly tone as he did so. He wanted to encourage her to do what he believed was the right thing, not scold her and turn her away. But, it seemed, she wasn't going to be turning away anytime soon. In fact, it seemed she wanted to have an even longer conversation. His paper was still pressing at the back of his mind, but once again Itoi reminded himself: this was his life's calling, and he had better start getting used to impromptu requests for help and advice. And so even though he was concerned for his own academics, he just nodded his head slowly.

"Of course, I'd be happy to. I'm only a seminarian in training, but anything I can do to help you, I'm happy to." He nodded again, to emphasize the point."Did you want to find a seat somewhere in one of the study areas to talk? Or did you want to sit down elsewhere? I have plenty of time, so don't worry at all."

Sophia gives a nod about a trained psychologist. Yeah, one probably would be if the situation was less bizarre than it was. Lance would probably need a lot of time to work through the issues between his personalities.

She smiles as he says that he is willing to answer any questions. “No. We can sit here. See, one of my friends has… I don’t know really know how to explain it. I think he’s lost hope in seeing anything good in the world. I feel like even his positive emotions and experiences are tainted with negative ones. I mean, I understand. People that he used to be close to never looked out for his best interests, and his life’s been pretty much one tragedy after another. I know he used to be a Catholic. He used to believe in something like that. Not so much anymore. I think he would say that he has turned away from God’s light and warmth.” She sighs, “Really, I suppose I am asking how to help someone renew their faith.”

Itoi took a seat at one of the small study tables, crossing a leg and leaning inward slightly toward Sophia as she began to talk. He nodded occasionally as he listened, relating her friend's difficult background. She seemed a little flustered at first and he almost got the impression that she was rambling a little as she searched for the right words. But finally, she nailed her real question down: how do you help someone to restore their faith?

His smile broadened a little, in a gesture of compassion, and he leaned backward into the chair with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"That's not an easy question to wrestle with," he said in a soft, gentle voice, "But a lot of people find themselves asking that... And I guess as a seminarian who will be a priest one day, that's the sort of thing I should know about, right?"

Except, he wasn't entirely sure what to tell her. It was a lot easier when it was someone he knew personally. He could understand their personality, their history, and in knowing them, he could work with them to try and heal their doubt. But to counsel a complete stranger, about another complete stranger, felt difficult. Still -- this was his job, and he wasn't going to sit there dumbfounded.

"I always tell people to lead by example... People who have wandered away, people who have lost their faith, have usually walked away from God because they feel like their faith was in vain. They may have tried trusting in faith, in the Church, in morality, in.. whatever, really, but when bad things kept on happening to them, they grew bitter and assumed it wasn't worthwhile anymore. They feel betrayed or abandoned, and now they're trying to live another way, hoping that -maybe- that will work instead. If you want him to find his faith again, I think it's helpful for him to see faith modeled around him. Whether it's you, a mutual friend, whoever... Surround him with people who will care for him, be attentive to him, and demonstrate the fruits of a life lived in faith. More often than not, that's much more powerful than anything you could say to him."

Well, that turned out to be a bit longer and wordier than he expected. He couldn't help but feel like he'd just lectured her, instead of offering compassionate advice. Was it overkill, or was he just being self conscious? He just smiled and waited for her reply -- he could tell easily enough once she spoke again.

“No. I understand it is a difficult question. And the answer probably changes depending on person. I guess this might be a bit unfair to ask,” Sophia admits. Maybe there was no good answer for this.

However, the clergyman gives her some words of wisdom that make her feel somewhat better. “I hope it helps that he knows that I won’t abandon him. Nor do I have any intention of using him like the others. But I find myself attempting to push him in the right direction rather than guiding him because he refuses to follow.” Stand as a shining example for others. She always wanted to be one, but she doubted her ability to act as a role model for others. “I try to live my life that way, trying to be an example of how to live morally right. However, these days, it’s getting terribly complicated to do that,” she says, looking out the nearest window to the cold weather outside.

Itoi's smile was gentle, sympathetic, and warm. He appreciated who Sophia was: a girl overcome with concern for a friend. He probably wasn't going to say anything that would magically solve her problems or perfectly give her a new course of action, but at least he could do is best to offer some spiritual guidance, emotional comfort, and some companionship.

"Sometimes, that's all you can do... Love him as best you know how, and pray for the rest to follow after. We do what we can, but sometimes people have to be ready to listen before our words will really get through to them. Of course if you'd like, I'd even be happy to talk to him at some point, myself. No guarantees of it working, of course, but if I'm going to be a priest someday I should be ready to help where I can."

Perhaps it was a premature offer, and may have seemed a little overzealous. But nevertheless, his calling in life was to help and guide, so why shouldn't he make such a suggestion? He didn't know how much or how little this girl wanted from him, but even if it was going to kill that research paper, he was already quietly resolved to make himself as available as she needed.

This was the first person who suggested love as a solution to her. Sophia cared enough for Peter, and did hope it would rub off on him. She gives a nod, “Yeah, you are probably right about that. However, it also doesn’t help that his and my definition of love are entirely different. Selfless and unconditional… these aren’t really things that describe his emotions.”

Evidently, she was mistaken in the man being a priest. She laughs a little, “Honestly, you could have had me fooled. I thought you were a priest already, and you’re definitely good at this. I appreciate you taking time to talk to me. I might take you up on that offer actually, depending on how the week unfolds.”

She extends a hand, “I don’t think I properly introduced myself before diving into my problems. That was incredibly rude of me. Sophia Torres.”

Itoi couldn't help but feel a little warmed by Sophia's honesty. "Whatever his definition of love may be," he said with that same smile, "What matters isn't how he defines love... But how he receives it. Do what you do, and pray for the rest."

Part of him thought that sounded so simple and sage that it was pure spiritual genius. The other half of him, though, couldn't help the nagging sensation that it was too vague, and perhaps even a cop-out. But she was seemingly grateful for his advice, so regardless of his own internal critique, this was a good thing. She paused to introduce herself -- something neither had done yet -- and he nodded his head in acknowledgement of her, taking her hand in his as she offered it.

"Well Sophia, I'm blessed to meet you... My name is Sugiyima Itoi -- I'm a seminarian in Tokyo studying for the priesthood. And naturally, I'm happy to offer myself to you or to your friend however you may need it... That's what men like me train to do, after all, isn't it? I'll have your back if you need it."

A dark presence would fill the area, and hundreds of books would being to hover and levitate flying around the room erratically. Torn pages would begin to seal off the exits with unnaturally resilient paper. People begin to panic at the abrupt, ghostly happenings and try to claw at the parchments to get out but after prolonged contact they fall over drained of their spiritual energy.

Letters begin to spell out in text above, spelling out Y.O.U.R E.NE.R.GY IS MI.NE

Lights turn purple and malaise begins to fill the area, a sense of dread elevating gradually bit by bit.

Sophia looks down as Itoi complements her, “Naw. I’m the thankful one. Honestly, I really needed to hear all that. And I appreciate the help. I do have to say one thing though: My friend can be a little odd from to time.” That was putting it a bit lightly, but Itoi didn’t have to concern himself with the extent.

Suddenly, she feels that familiar sick feeling in the air. Books fly past her, and she ducks out of the one that was almost on a collision course with her head. It was just her this time. Well, damn. “Stay out of harm’s way, Sugiyima-sama. I… I gotta go.” She darts off between bookshelves, trying to find a place to transform out of sight. Pulling out her henshin item, she says, “Venus Power, Make Up!” before transforming into her senshi alterego.

As she comes back out to deal with the whatever covenant member was about, she sees everyone falling asleep except Itoi. “Oh. I don’t suppose you can transform, can you?” she asks the seminary student. She waves her hands about. Where was this guy/girl/what have you anyways? “Sir… ummm… Mr. Collector of Energies? Can we call it a cease-fire?” Love energy fills the air. The compassion should goes both ways. Her towards the covenant member (and just about everyone else), and hopefully the covenant member towards her. “I mean, can we just talk?”

Itoi and Sophia's conversation was interrupted by a sudden dark presence, and the kind of room-shaking supernatural phenomena that seemed straight out of a horror film. Flying, flipping books, pages blocking the doors, people collapsing in seeming lethargy.. Was this the Covenant's work? Shouldn't they be safe on the mainland? Or was this something entirely different? Nevertheless, Itoi was a priest in training, and the supernatural was not something he feared. Standing up quickly, he was about to tell Sophia to stay close to him for safety, when the girl abruptly excused herself and ran off. He turned and grabbed his Rosary tightly in one hand, squeezing the prayer beads as he began to quietly pray under his breath. He would allow nothing to happen here -- he didn't know what he could do, but he trusted in the intercession of the Blessed Mother to guard him.

That was when Sailor Venus appeared. Itoi didn't know what to make of the girls' sudden entry, nor of her strange question about "transforming." But she shouldn't be so brazen! Thinking as a protector, Itoi ran toward her quickly.

"Be careful!!" he called out, dashing to her side, "You don't know what sort of demonic power could be at work here... It isn't safe to confront it!"