They've all had to default back to their personas here throughout the day with the stream of customers coming through -- which means remembering two sets of names and making sure not to slip at the very least. For Ran, it means eliminating the honorifics as well, fighting the ingrained urge to tack them on and trying to resist the inner voice that fusses at her for being at best intimate, and at worst, completely rude. Sometimes she finds herself biting off the syllables, trying to pretend that nothing happened.

At least it's a little easier with people she's never known by any other name -- as it is with Kyle, who her memories of life here tell her she's lived next door to for almost as long as she can remember. Menu and tray in hand, she heads in his direction with a smile . . .

And stops short, eyes widening, when she sees the symbol over his head.

Kyle is Unawakened. Unawakened, and close to becoming Awakened, granted that he can gain enough dissonance with his memories of this place and Awaken his Persona. Ran can feel the anxiety sit like a cold, leaden pit in her stomach . . . though she can't deny it's better to be Awakened, the process of it . . .

Her duty to the Unawakened is clear, though: Help create that dissonance if she can -- help Awaken if she needs to. She does her best to pull her smile back, resuming her path back in that direction. Hopefully he didn't see.

"Mm, can I get you anything?"

Never mind that she's still holding onto the menu.