"....shut up..." he said quietly, almost under his breath.

"....shut up, shut up..." he repeated, his voice a little louder now, but still barely audible.

"Please... just... stop talking! Shut up!" he then said further, this time definitely audible, but only to people that were close to him.

But nobody was. Nobody ever came close to him. And that was for various reasons. The young man looked to be about 18-19, but he also looked like he had worries far beyond his age. His hair was a dark brown, which allowed the few white hairs he had to shine through even better, and his clear blue eyes looked to be sunken and sullen, with disconcerting bags under them, like he hadn't slept properly in months and months.

He wore unassuming clothing, normal for anyone his age, though they were baggy and wrinkled, more so than would be expected. His black tee-shirt depicted a metal band from decades ago, and he wore jeans that were faded and tattered, but still holding themselves together. His sneakers were grey and white, and well-worn, showing he was probably due for new ones at some point. He also had a red and black backpack slung over one arm.

However, he was paying little attention to the people that were avoiding him, as he sat on the marble bench-like structure around the fountain behind him, leaning forward and grasping lightly at the side of his head with one of his hands, staring at the floor and muttering to himself again.

He had an important lecture that he couldn't afford to miss, why were the voices acting up NOW?

"...freak." a male said, as he and a female passed him.

"Mitch, quiet!" the female whispered harshly, nudging his side.

"Well, he IS." the male replied. "Gina, you're too nice. He's weird and you're as scared as anyone else he'll turn violent." he told her.

"......" she was silent as she heard that, and just bit her lip.

"It's still not nice to say things like that..." she said quietly.

The two students jumped a bit when the young woman addressed them and said what she did.

"Woah!" the male exclaimed.

"And we're not scared." he said.

"We're just keeping arms-length from the weirdo crazy that talks to himself." he told her.

"Shhh!" the female shushed him.

"He's... a bit of an outcast. He doesn't socialize, and DOES mutter to himself." she told the woman, referring to the one they'd been talking about.

"I've heard he got medication, but doesn't take it, either." she then sighed.

The male froze when she woman caught him in his bluff. Yes, he was scared, and his bravado had been torn easily, like the paper it was.

He then sighed, as the two of them continued on their way.

Meanwhile, when mints were shaken, the young make seemed to jolt to attention, back to reality.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, looking around.

"Huh?" he muttered, seeing the woman there.

"Mint?" he asked further.

"........ok, yeah, sure." he said, sighing. "I forgot to brush my teeth this morning, anyway." he lamented, shaking his head a little.

"What kind are they?" he asked her.

He was quiet for a moment, processing what she'd said.

"Made?" he asked.

"I see." he said, accepting one of them.

He then put it in his mouth, allowing it to dissolve slightly, and winced.

"Oh wow. Strong." he commented, before crunching down on it and mixing it in his mouth, swallowing it and sighing quietly.

"........." he was then silent for a moment, his eyes widening slightly.

"....what...?" he asked quietly.

"What... is this feeling...?"

".....mana....?" Levi asked, before what she said sank in.

"Oh. Yeah." he then said.

"Yeah. Right." he said further, making sure to keep quiet.

"Thank you..." he told her quietly. "These are miracle mints." he continued.

"I can't hear the voices right now." he smiled.

Levi was silent for a moment, and nodded.

"...yeah." he said.

"None of them work. None of them ever did." he told her.

"But they always think I'm not taking them, or faking it." he lamented.

"....it's frustrating and disheartening." he admitted, sounding despondent.

"It's gotten so nobody will listen to me, anymore."

"......San Diego?" Levi asked.

"I..." he stammered. "Well... I mean, I... I suppose a change of scenery would be nice..." he admitted.

"....." he was then silent, before seeming to realize something.

"Wait." he said.

"Wait, wait, wait." he repeated.

"Kiah Remmington?" he asked.

"As in, DOCTOR Kiah Remmington? The one slated to give a lecture here?" he asked further.

"...." Levi was silent for a moment, before smiling softly.

"I've wanted to hear that for so long from someone else." he said.

"My roomie's told me that as well, but... it's nice to hear it from another person." he told her.

"I'll have to let my roomie know about this, though." he then said further.

"Is... there any way to get ahold of you while you're here?" he asked her. "Or... well, I mean, you can come with me back to my place to talk with her as well." he added.

Levi blushed for a moment, temporarily distracted by the fact that the wallet and card had been produced from her bra. He then shook his head a bit, and accepted the card.

"Ah, thank you." he said.

"Thank you so much." he repeated.

"This means... more to me than you can imagine." he went on, seemingly near tears.

"Ah, anyway." he then said, snapping himself back to reality.

"I'll contact you later this evening." he told her.

Levi nodded in response.

"Ah, yeah, sure." he said as she left, waving to him. It was all he could do to manage to wave back.

"..........huh." he mumbled.

"This... this day just got very interesting." he muttered to himself.

He then spent the rest of the day in a bit of a distracted daze, eventually making his way back to the townhouse that he shared with someone else.

He sighed as he reached the door, unlocked it, and stepped inside.

"Yo!" he called out when he closed the door behind him.