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TDM #1
TDM #1
DREAMING
At first, there is nothing. You are nothing. Whatever existed before ceases to be if for a moment. Then, bit by bit, you start to become aware. Where there was not even darkness now is a dim haze, gentle and almost mist-like. You have limbs again and beneath your feet lays a path of light reaching out like limbs of a great tree beneath you, twisting and climbing out into the horizon.You take a step forward for what else is there to do? As you walk you begin to remember what it was you were doing before the nothingness; maybe something as simple as chatting with a loved one or close friend. Maybe you were just beginning a great journey or facing off against an old foe. Whatever it was, you get the distinct feeling that wherever and whenever that was, it is not here. Not now.
The path of light twists off into different directions. When you look up you can see that it is not a sky above you but the sky of everything, a grand cosmic tapestry littered with not mere stars but galaxies and clusters of galaxies that gleam like crystals against the velvety backdrop of space. Admire it for a moment, if you will. You don't know how long you will drift here, but you are not alone. Other wanderers will come and go as you bask together in the vastness of creation.
It seems to you that there are two paths to walk in this place, the light and dark beckoning in turn.
❖ THE LIGHT AT THE CENTER
One leads you to the center, splintered fragments folding together and colliding until only one thing remains: a light that speaks to you with the voice of all there is and has ever been. It greets you simultaneously as an old friend and as a lost child, both rejoicing in and mourning your arrival. You remember it too, somehow, with a feeling of complex nostalgia, as if returning to a place recalled from your distant childhood.
You’ll feel the same of the other wanderers that join you in the light; you know their faces, their voices, and as you reflect upon the world of your birth, you may witness fragments of theirs as well. You feel a comradery, then, a synchronicity of thought and emotion. Are the lives of others truly so different from your own? Or are you simply two hands of the same, greater being? Though some individualistic part of you may resist, the longer you spend in the light, the more you will find yourself becoming one with it.
Despite this welcoming call, no matter how eagerly your pursue its embrace, before you can fully submerge yourself in this oneness you will find yourself being torn away. As if seized by the impossibly long, cold arm of a creature unseen, you are plucked from the edge of fulfillment. The last thing you will remember is the sensation of your world, and all the others your experienced here, collapsing into nothingness.
❖ THE DARK OUTSIDE (CW: deep despair, ego death)
The other leads towards the outside, where the splintering becomes so great that the vestiges of reality can do nothing but collapse back into the abyss at the end of everything. As you wander to these barren outskirts, your thoughts will not be drawn to familiarity and oneness, but instead to memories of discontent and waste. The darker the path becomes, the more you find yourself dwelling on life’s disappointments and injustices, of the things about yourself and your world you find wanting.
If you see others here, at first they will feel frightening or contemptible, as if representing to you the worst experiences in your life. Even if they are someone you’re certain you know, that familiarity and affection will be stripped away in the face of the great emptiness before you. In the end, you were all the same. In the end, none of this was worth it. If you approach the end together, you may even form a kind of kinship around this acknowledgment, as the need for paranoia and hatred fades.
Slowly, the darkness encroaches, and you can see it devouring all the things you once knew. Memories of your home, of those you loved, dissolve into nothing, and you can only reflect on the barren emptiness in your heart as you see it happen. In your final moments, though, you feel peace with it all, knowing that there was no other way. You step from the edge of the last dwindling fragment of being and are greeted by silence.
❖ THE END
No matter which way you go, you are left with a single impression: you feel the world you came from die. It's a realization that transcends logic or sense; it weighs on your heart and leaves the vestiges of dark memories dancing in your thoughts like motes of ash. It's a memory of your home crumbling away into nothing as if consumed from within by rot. Returned to the void, all that's left to you is to be reborn.
REBIRTH
In a new time and place, you awaken. Stirring within a capsule of warmth and isolation your senses will slowly return, only to observe that you are trapped. Your body, as it wakes, is tangled in close, yours eyes unable to open, as if still within the womb. You are held tight in the embrace of something unyielding, so smothering that at first you only have the strength to struggle for moments at a time. Yet, as you persist, the pressure begins to relent in turn; it may take hours, but eventually you will find the purchase to push, to claw, to fight, and it will all give way.The chrysalis surrounding you bends like flesh and cracks like glass. It tears as you force your fingers through, finding liberation one inch at a time, until finally you have emerged. As if having undergone metamorphosis, you feel old and new all at once. You are weak, piteously so, but the markings and scars of your previous life remain. As you slump down upon the smooth cavern stone, you realize that you've just wrenched yourself free of gigantic crystal, though its hollow, shimmering form is now in pieces on account of your passing. Somewhere on your body, a shard of similar material remains embedded.
The cave itself looks almost like the inside of a geode, the walls and ceiling bedazzled with greyish crystal that shines with all the colors of the rainbow. While they vary wildly in size and shape, only a few have grown large enough to hold a form like yours, and you can see the one you just escaped isn't the only one bearing a passenger within. They may have already hatched, or they may still be lingering in stasis. Either way, there's enough time that you may have a chance to speak to yours unexpected peers, or to perhaps to struggle to find something to cover your naked body with. You feel the chill of the open air against your moisture laden skin, a distant light trickling in through the cavern's opening.
Make the most of this time. It won't be long before you're interrupted.
[Mod Note: If you don't want to deal with your character being naked in front of the others at that location, feel free to assume they emerge at a different time than the others of their legacy. Characters will be 'hatching' over a period of several hours.]
CAPTIVITY
It seems that someone was waiting for you to arrive, and not in the most friendly of ways. Though the specifics of who comes to get you will vary according to which legacy shrine your character awakens at, there are certain commonalities: most notably, how they are ostensibly here to capture and imprison you. It's easy for them, all considered. You can barely stand, so fresh out of your chrysalis, and whatever powers or special abilities you may have had will not answer your call. Even worse, your would be captors are well equipped for the job.
Each group arrives with several 'whips' made of unknown materials. What makes them so special only become obvious when one of them inevitable snakes its way around your body. Whether it be your ankle or your neck, being bound by these cords puts you under the influence of whoever is holding the other end of your leash. Your mind remains untouched, but you will find yourself physically incapable of performing physical actions that go against their will. While the possibilities are frightening, thankfully they all just seem to want one thing: for you to come along as a good little prisoner and to not cause any of them too much trouble.
The rest depends on your character's legacy:
❖ THE LOVER
The small island the shrine is built upon is approached by several modest boats with colorful sails. They carry what appears to be a collection of fearful fisherfolk and town guards. They are reluctant to speak with those being pulled out of the shrine or even look them in the eye. If they have their choice, the entire process will be done in silence. If you try too hard to upset them, the guards will sternly bring you to heel.
❖ THE CELEBRANT
The infrastructure of an entire festival ground seems to be built around this shrine, and as a result, there are an usual amount of people present. While most keep their distance, a few will engage with the local guards that arrive to capture the Aions, complaining that this is going to interfere with their preparations for the upcoming Lover’s Festival. They are pushed aside in short order, and the rest of the retrieval will be done in a stern but business-like manner.
❖ THE MARTYR
At first, those arriving to capture the Aions will be hesitant to even enter the barren crater this shrine is held within. Once the presence of the new arrivals becomes clear, however, they will run in as if crossing the no man’s land of a battlefield and complete their work with gusto. It appears to be mostly military folk and they seem to lack any patience or sympathy for those they capture.
❖ THE SOVEREIGN
The captors here seem to be a mixed bag, almost as if two separate squadrons have arrived at the same time. One is a gathering of people who give off the impression of mountain folk, while the others are well armored soldiers. Though it will be hard to make out the specifics, there seems to be some manner of disagreement between these two parties over what should be done, but the ones kitted out in full military attire win out in the end. By then, they are completely out of patience for further resistance.
❖ THE ARTISAN
The people here seem to have mixed feelings about your arrival. On one hand, it seems to be a moment of considerable trepidation, on the other, they seem unbearably curious about your nature. They will ask questions about any unusual features you have, or what your skills are, while others from the group try just as hard to shush them. Ultimately, they don’t seem that enthusiastic about having to capture you, but they also don’t seem to think they have much choice.
❖ THE INNOCENT
Among rolling hills of flowers, at first it seems as if this shrine may not be visited at all. Before the arriving Aions can escape it, though - naked and weakened as they are - a group of fairly normal looking townsfolk will arrive. They pause as they spot you near the shrine, almost like they are hesitating about coming at all. In the end, they will converge upon you and ask for you to please cooperate. They won’t hurt you, as long as you come with them.
❖ THE SEEKER
Armored soldiers are the ones to first pull you from the shrine, but as you arrive outside of it you'll see that it is situated at the edge of a great forest. An ancient observatory is build into the cliff face behind the shrine, and your captors are apparently in the process of negotiating with a series of robed individuals that have emerged from it. According to them, the soldiers kidnapping you are trespassing. Unfortunately, they are not the ones with weapons.
❖ THE WANDERER
When you first emerge from the shrine, it will appear as if you have just missed a skirmish. There are a few bodies scattered about, all wearing woodland armor made of leather and fur. The victors, it seems, come in the form of fully armored soldiers. Thoroughly irritated by the fight that just happened, they will not waste time on niceties. If you try to ask them what just happened, the best you may get is a sneer about ‘those damn forest people.’ You may spot a couple more bodies on the trail leading out of the forest as well.
❖ THE FIREBRAND
The first thing to be seen beyond the cavern entrance is a sheer drop into a raging canyon river far below you, with only a narrow path leading up the steep cliff face. It would be a difficult situation, even without black-cloaked warriors making their way down it to collect you. Struggle too much and you'll be at risk of being thrown into the chasm. These masked assailants are largely unmoved by your protests and will drag you the entire way up the cliff if you force them to. "Your soul will be claimed," they say.
❖ THE VISIONARY
The view from the mouth of the cavern is awe inspiring, revealing the foreign shapes of a world you've never seen before. Unfortunately, the altitude of this shrine means you will also be greeted with sharp wind and biting cold. Fortunately, or not, a party of mountaineers and three black-cloaked warriors will arrive to collect you. Despite their seeming inability to defy the orders of the warriors, the mountaineers will toss you some shoes and blankets for the trek down, even if they are taken away from you later. If the warriors speak at all, it's mostly in the form of ominous utterances.
❖ THE CHAMPION
Even if one were to stagger out of the shrine's cavern before being approached, the Aions arriving here will swiftly find themselves in a hopeless situation. Not only are there soldiers here to collect there is a moderately sized military barracks built around the shrine itself, and this particular squadron is not on your side. You will be swarmed before you can get far at all. There seems to be a mix of two squadrons here, some wearing heavy armor and red accents, while the others wear full face masks and dark cloaks.
Once you've been captured and pulled from the shrine, you will given a formless white gown made of moderately comfortable fabric, with sleeves reaching your elbows and its bottom reaching down past your knees. You will not be given pants or shoes. You're in for a journey, apparently - no matter who plucked you from the cave, most of the heavily armored soldiers in the prompts above will turn out to be 'Hylician soldiers', while the smaller number of black-robed warriors are referred to 'Achamites'. After the initial dealings with the shrines, all prisoners will be passed off to a squadron of Hylicians, though a few Achamites may follow along depending on the location.
Where are you all going? Back to Hylici, apparently.
Each group arrives with several 'whips' made of unknown materials. What makes them so special only become obvious when one of them inevitable snakes its way around your body. Whether it be your ankle or your neck, being bound by these cords puts you under the influence of whoever is holding the other end of your leash. Your mind remains untouched, but you will find yourself physically incapable of performing physical actions that go against their will. While the possibilities are frightening, thankfully they all just seem to want one thing: for you to come along as a good little prisoner and to not cause any of them too much trouble.
The rest depends on your character's legacy:
❖ THE LOVER
The small island the shrine is built upon is approached by several modest boats with colorful sails. They carry what appears to be a collection of fearful fisherfolk and town guards. They are reluctant to speak with those being pulled out of the shrine or even look them in the eye. If they have their choice, the entire process will be done in silence. If you try too hard to upset them, the guards will sternly bring you to heel.
❖ THE CELEBRANT
The infrastructure of an entire festival ground seems to be built around this shrine, and as a result, there are an usual amount of people present. While most keep their distance, a few will engage with the local guards that arrive to capture the Aions, complaining that this is going to interfere with their preparations for the upcoming Lover’s Festival. They are pushed aside in short order, and the rest of the retrieval will be done in a stern but business-like manner.
❖ THE MARTYR
At first, those arriving to capture the Aions will be hesitant to even enter the barren crater this shrine is held within. Once the presence of the new arrivals becomes clear, however, they will run in as if crossing the no man’s land of a battlefield and complete their work with gusto. It appears to be mostly military folk and they seem to lack any patience or sympathy for those they capture.
❖ THE SOVEREIGN
The captors here seem to be a mixed bag, almost as if two separate squadrons have arrived at the same time. One is a gathering of people who give off the impression of mountain folk, while the others are well armored soldiers. Though it will be hard to make out the specifics, there seems to be some manner of disagreement between these two parties over what should be done, but the ones kitted out in full military attire win out in the end. By then, they are completely out of patience for further resistance.
❖ THE ARTISAN
The people here seem to have mixed feelings about your arrival. On one hand, it seems to be a moment of considerable trepidation, on the other, they seem unbearably curious about your nature. They will ask questions about any unusual features you have, or what your skills are, while others from the group try just as hard to shush them. Ultimately, they don’t seem that enthusiastic about having to capture you, but they also don’t seem to think they have much choice.
❖ THE INNOCENT
Among rolling hills of flowers, at first it seems as if this shrine may not be visited at all. Before the arriving Aions can escape it, though - naked and weakened as they are - a group of fairly normal looking townsfolk will arrive. They pause as they spot you near the shrine, almost like they are hesitating about coming at all. In the end, they will converge upon you and ask for you to please cooperate. They won’t hurt you, as long as you come with them.
❖ THE SEEKER
Armored soldiers are the ones to first pull you from the shrine, but as you arrive outside of it you'll see that it is situated at the edge of a great forest. An ancient observatory is build into the cliff face behind the shrine, and your captors are apparently in the process of negotiating with a series of robed individuals that have emerged from it. According to them, the soldiers kidnapping you are trespassing. Unfortunately, they are not the ones with weapons.
❖ THE WANDERER
When you first emerge from the shrine, it will appear as if you have just missed a skirmish. There are a few bodies scattered about, all wearing woodland armor made of leather and fur. The victors, it seems, come in the form of fully armored soldiers. Thoroughly irritated by the fight that just happened, they will not waste time on niceties. If you try to ask them what just happened, the best you may get is a sneer about ‘those damn forest people.’ You may spot a couple more bodies on the trail leading out of the forest as well.
❖ THE FIREBRAND
The first thing to be seen beyond the cavern entrance is a sheer drop into a raging canyon river far below you, with only a narrow path leading up the steep cliff face. It would be a difficult situation, even without black-cloaked warriors making their way down it to collect you. Struggle too much and you'll be at risk of being thrown into the chasm. These masked assailants are largely unmoved by your protests and will drag you the entire way up the cliff if you force them to. "Your soul will be claimed," they say.
❖ THE VISIONARY
The view from the mouth of the cavern is awe inspiring, revealing the foreign shapes of a world you've never seen before. Unfortunately, the altitude of this shrine means you will also be greeted with sharp wind and biting cold. Fortunately, or not, a party of mountaineers and three black-cloaked warriors will arrive to collect you. Despite their seeming inability to defy the orders of the warriors, the mountaineers will toss you some shoes and blankets for the trek down, even if they are taken away from you later. If the warriors speak at all, it's mostly in the form of ominous utterances.
❖ THE CHAMPION
Even if one were to stagger out of the shrine's cavern before being approached, the Aions arriving here will swiftly find themselves in a hopeless situation. Not only are there soldiers here to collect there is a moderately sized military barracks built around the shrine itself, and this particular squadron is not on your side. You will be swarmed before you can get far at all. There seems to be a mix of two squadrons here, some wearing heavy armor and red accents, while the others wear full face masks and dark cloaks.
Once you've been captured and pulled from the shrine, you will given a formless white gown made of moderately comfortable fabric, with sleeves reaching your elbows and its bottom reaching down past your knees. You will not be given pants or shoes. You're in for a journey, apparently - no matter who plucked you from the cave, most of the heavily armored soldiers in the prompts above will turn out to be 'Hylician soldiers', while the smaller number of black-robed warriors are referred to 'Achamites'. After the initial dealings with the shrines, all prisoners will be passed off to a squadron of Hylicians, though a few Achamites may follow along depending on the location.
Where are you all going? Back to Hylici, apparently.
WAITING
After you've been handed off to the the Hylician military, you have a long road ahead of you. Loaded up onto carts, and then eventually onto river borne boats, the people collected at the shrines will all be brought to a forest in the center of Horos. Along the way, the squadron ferrying you will combine with others from neighboring shrines, more and more captives arriving in your group the closer to your destination you get. Along the way you will be fed and watered well enough (though only with military rations), and at night you will be given flimsy bedrolls to sleep around the fire with. Captives will be under constant watch by the Hylician guard, and anyone who shows any signs of resistance will be required to be bound by one of those magic whips, usually around the ankle or wrist. The rest of the trip is spent being pulled along in carts or the storage bays of boats. After the groups start converging, captives of the same legacy will not necessarily be kept together.
The final muster point of the Hylicians and their captives will be among forest ruins. For what purpose you have arrived they will not say, but the entire group will be camping there until preparations are complete. Sadly, you won't be allowed much space to explore - not without being bound and under watch. If you've behaved yourself it's possible to move about the central ruins, but only if the guards are confident they'll be able to wrangle you when necessary. It does allow for moderately private conversations along the pillars and walls of the ruins, but venturing out into the forest itself is definitely out of the question.
From beginning to end, characters will spent about two weeks in transit and waiting in the ruins. To what end is yet to be seen, but if you listen closely, you may hear whispers of a 'ritual space' being prepared.
QUESTIONS
Are everyone's homeworlds really gone?
That's a complicated issue, and while the fate of their world is not without hope, they may certainly get the impression its been destroyed from the dream they had. Alternatively, they may refuse to believe what they felt and attempt to dismiss it as only a vision. More about this situation will be revealed as the game goes on.
Can I only experience one end of the dream sequence prompt?
Characters may experience one ending, both endings, or neither. If they experience both they will struggle to recall which came first or which feels the most 'true' to them, as both will simultaneously be the thought they are reborn with. If your character refuses to pursue either path they can simply linger in the middle until the infinite worlds above them start being extinguished one by one, eventually expelling them into darkness in a similar style to the light prompt. Which dreams they experience will not dictate their intial sect affiliation.
Is it possible to pull another character back from the end of the light or darkness dreams?
Yes! If your character is able to resist the pull of either end, they will have the chance to try to pull another character back from the edge of the abyss or the edge of oneness. Whether or not they succeed is entirely up to the other character, though.
Do you come out of the chrysalis wet?
For most intents and purposes it's the same experience as hatching out of a real butterfly chrysalis, so yes, a bit.
Can my character resist the influence of the whips?
Those possessed of particularly strong wills may be able to struggle with the whip's control in brief spurts, but not long enough to make a full escape attempt. They may be able to take an impotent swing at one of the guards or fight against being pulled along, though. Naturally, doing this will indicate to the Hylicians that you are a problem, and their handling of you will become harsher the more it occurs.
How cruel will the Hylicians be to the player characters?
The Hylician military are not friendly people and come across as being a bit callous even at the best of times. However, unless you provoke them, they will be primarily focused on just getting the job done with as few interruption as possible. If your character makes a habit of pissing them off, either by constantly fighting back or just by being persistently obnoxious, their treatment will get worse. If driven to it, they may take the opportunity to take out their frustrations on particularly troublesome prisoners, via physical punishment, humiliation, or deprivation.
That's a complicated issue, and while the fate of their world is not without hope, they may certainly get the impression its been destroyed from the dream they had. Alternatively, they may refuse to believe what they felt and attempt to dismiss it as only a vision. More about this situation will be revealed as the game goes on.
Can I only experience one end of the dream sequence prompt?
Characters may experience one ending, both endings, or neither. If they experience both they will struggle to recall which came first or which feels the most 'true' to them, as both will simultaneously be the thought they are reborn with. If your character refuses to pursue either path they can simply linger in the middle until the infinite worlds above them start being extinguished one by one, eventually expelling them into darkness in a similar style to the light prompt. Which dreams they experience will not dictate their intial sect affiliation.
Is it possible to pull another character back from the end of the light or darkness dreams?
Yes! If your character is able to resist the pull of either end, they will have the chance to try to pull another character back from the edge of the abyss or the edge of oneness. Whether or not they succeed is entirely up to the other character, though.
Do you come out of the chrysalis wet?
For most intents and purposes it's the same experience as hatching out of a real butterfly chrysalis, so yes, a bit.
Can my character resist the influence of the whips?
Those possessed of particularly strong wills may be able to struggle with the whip's control in brief spurts, but not long enough to make a full escape attempt. They may be able to take an impotent swing at one of the guards or fight against being pulled along, though. Naturally, doing this will indicate to the Hylicians that you are a problem, and their handling of you will become harsher the more it occurs.
How cruel will the Hylicians be to the player characters?
The Hylician military are not friendly people and come across as being a bit callous even at the best of times. However, unless you provoke them, they will be primarily focused on just getting the job done with as few interruption as possible. If your character makes a habit of pissing them off, either by constantly fighting back or just by being persistently obnoxious, their treatment will get worse. If driven to it, they may take the opportunity to take out their frustrations on particularly troublesome prisoners, via physical punishment, humiliation, or deprivation.
Sayaka Maizono | Dangan Ronpa | The Lover
[This isn't the first time Sayaka has woken up in a place that she didn't expect; at least the first time had the courtesy of being the place she actually intended to go, even if the circumstances were far from ideal. To wake up in a place this different, that feels almost like a dream or something different in entirety...it's not something that puts Sayaka at ease at all. No, she needs to get back, to what she knows, to those that miss her, to everything familiar--
But despite the mental turmoil in her head, the blue haired girl is all smiles and ease; to any untrained eye, she almost appears fine with this. She's always been pretty good at keeping her anxieties locked away, and despite everything, despite everything she refuses to acknowledge, she knows what she has to be. An idol. A symbol. More than anything, if she can do that for at least one person--
Well, she will. She has to, doesn't she?
Sayaka presses forward, and when the path diverges--well, that's when she might come across you. With practiced ease, Sayaka smiles and folds her hands in front of herself.]
Excuse me? I hope I'm not being a bother, but... [Sayaka looks to either side, the side of the light or the dark.] I have to admit, I'm not exactly sure which direction we should be going in. Could we maybe walk together for a bit?
[Basically, you choose your own adventure here. Sayaka's always been pretty good at following, after all.]
waiting
[So the trip here is anything but peaceful, all be told. Sayaka goes quietly, if rather nervously, onto the boats containing those who woke up with her; it's probably the most emotion she's ever shown in her time here, but she is positively freaked out the whole way through. Mostly just shuddering and shaking, wondering--is this all just going to end up like Hope's Peak, that her dreams have died entirely and yet she's still going on--
And yet, if anything, that's what manages to keep Sayaka going to a certain extent. She can't be the idol that everyone at home needs, but...perhaps she could be like those heroines, those selfless women she's seen in various shows and news stories. Sure, it's another unrealistic standard to hold herself to, but she's been an idol. It surely can't be much worse than that, can it?
So she tries to keep hope. Tries to talk to people, tries to analyze and look out for them; she may be acting her part as a helpful young lady, but if she wants a chance to keep living in this new world, she should make friends, right? People who are strong, perhaps. People who can keep her safe. Sure, she'll try to serve as an inspiration, but it's not selfish to want to survive and maybe try to help others do the same, right?
Well, Sayaka doesn't really know, but she also doesn't care. She wants to live, and she has to adapt or she'll be forgotten. And as a (potentially former) idol, that's worse than death itself.
She may be around doing any multitude of things; trying to keep morale up, for one. Joining people, getting to know them--for instance, you might have her coming up and waving to you, walking over tentatively.]
Excuse me, but...do you mind if I join you for a bit?
[Of course, she's also keeping an eye out for those injured by the guards--sure, some people are going against them and getting some just desserts in a way, but Sayaka can't help but find it a touch disgusting. If you happen to be injured, well...if nothing else, Sayaka's good at replicating things she's seen on Tv. Tearing some of the bottom of her robes up into a long strip, she might come over to you if you're injured, concern dripping from her face.]
Hey, are you doing okay? You don't exactly look too good...
[Or maybe even at dinner, you might be getting some food passed to you. Not that Sayaka isn't hungry--because she is, she completely is. But it's...selfless, isn't it? To make sure those who may not be getting anything to eat for whatever reason can do so. So if you happen to be one of those people...]
Here. You probably need this more than me, right?
wildcard
[Wanna do something else? Feel free to PM this account or private plurk me at
waiting
And yet here's someone coming to his aid despite that not being necessary at all. Vicious laughs and lifts his shoulders a bit.]
Woulda been a different story if I could've fought back.
[But if she's going to fret and worry about him then whatever, he'll present his arms for her to look over. She might need a couple of makeshift bandages, but at least she won't need to tear her robe too much for that.]
You do this for everyone? [He jerks his head in the direction of the others, but maybe he's just indicating the whole camp at this point.] I'm not the only one pickin' fights.
no subject
But Vicious has the right of it that she's going to fret regardless. Sayaka goes over to access the damage, and it's clear she's gonna need to tear off a few more for this...but oh, well. Her outfit's already torn plenty from the other idiots she's had to help, but what's one more for the road??]
Of course--I've been trying to, at least. I know what's going on isn't exactly great, but...I don't want to see people getting hurt when I can do something, you know?
[Just let her start wrapping the injuries up, don't mind herrr.]
Some people are just a little more wary than others, sometimes. Not that I can blame them...being in a place like this is a little more than scary.
no subject
Scary? You think so?
[He glances around at their group, looking for any signs that other people feel the same. Most of the people he's talked to have been fighty types like himself (unsurprising, given which shrine he woke up in) or just the most zen people imaginable. Is this a scary situation?]
...I guess bein' thrust into the unknown with a buncha unfamiliar faces would be difficult for some people.
[People who rely on their friends and loved ones, or people who can't imagine leaving their jobs or whatever behind. Normal people, maybe. Hell if he knows.]
Does it scare you?
[It's not trying to be a pointed question or even anything prying - Vicious genuinely sounds like he just Doesn't Get It. Which... he doesn't.]
no subject
Of course, Vicious manages to get that question out before Sayaka can respond properly, and while she continues wrapping up his wounds, her lips purse a bit, and...]
It really does. It's really scary being this far from home. It's not that I haven't really traveled, either, but...being in a place like this, where everything's so uncertain...
Wouldn't anyone be frightened by that? It's not a normal situation for anyone to be caught up in.
[That's one wound taken care of, let her tear off another strip and get to another...]
...But being scared isn't going to stop me from helping others, at least.
no subject
[So being far from home does seem to be the issue, though "home" probably also includes familiar people.]
It's not normal, yeah. Doubt any of us were expectin' to wake up inside a crystal and deal with all this, [he inclines his head to indicate their captors] but I guess I'm not comin' at it from the same angle everyone else it. Never really had a home to begin with; I'm used to travelin' and endin' up in crap situations.
[It'd be weirder for everything to be peaceful, honestly... But that's not how it is for most people, so that probably explains why everyone's on edge and most of them are willing to wait it out.]
Anyway, thanks. For this. Probably would've healed just fine anyway, but I appreciate it.
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...Y-Yeah. I do have to admit, waking up inside of some kind of crystal like that is uh...certainly one of the most interesting ways I've woken up in a long time!
[Sayaka laughs like it's some kind of joke, like she's at least trying to make some kind of levity out of the situation at least. Still, the thanks gets Sayaka to give an ever practiced smile.]
It's no trouble at all. If I can help, I want to, after all! Even in an unfamiliar place like this, we should look out for each other, right? We're all in this mess together.
[That's what Sayaka thinks, at any rate. Or at least what she thinks she should think.]
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[Kanata is an absolute dumbass, but his heart's in the right place. Probably. He's growing on Vicious, unfortunately.]
Just make sure not to wear yourself too thin, yeah? Can't help anyone if you can't help yourself. And anyway you're gonna run outta robe to tear if you keep doin' this for all the dumbass who won't stop pickin' fights.
[That absolutely includes Vicious himself.]
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...Still, her smile doesn't leave her face, though she does bring a hand up to conceal a chuckle.]
Hmm. Maybe I should start charging people their robes if they keep getting into messes, then?
[...It's mildly a joke, but Sayaka waves it off.]
Thank you, though. I'll do my best not to, but hopefully it doesn't come to that. I'm really hoping that we can get out soon, but...
[Well, it's probably not good to focus on that; her voice goes a touch softer, at least, when she says that much, but it's back to brightness after.]
Do you mind too terribly if I ask who you're talking about? Is that boy you're talking about someone you know well?
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[This still applies to Vicious. But anyway...]
Eh... Wouldn't say that.
[Does he know Kanata better than most people? Yeah, absolutely. But he wouldn't go any further than that.]
His name's Kanata. Dumbass kid who keeps gettin' himself and everyone around him into messes. Ended up in a bad position awhile back, and he decided to follow me after I got him out of it.
[His free hand moves to the back of his head as he glances away with a sigh.]
Though I guess I'm followin' after him right now, since I've got nowhere else to go for the time bein'. He's like you - one of those types who's just gotta look out for everyone no matter what it costs him.
[...]
He'd definitely tear up his entire robe if it meant bandagin' people, but he'd probably also use it all entirely on one person. Like I said, dumbass.
[...okay but that actually sounds a bit affectionate.]
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He sounds like a rather kind person...perhaps a little overzealous, but his heart sounds like it's in the right place. I'm a little surprised that someone like him could get in trouble in the first place...
["he's a little confused but he's got the spirit"]
You must be pretty fond of Kanata-kun, though, to say that much!
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It's the second part that catches his attention and throws him completely off guard and Vicious inclines his head a bit.]
Eh? What gave you that idea? I wouldn't say I'm fond of him.
[i mean he sure did imply it but alright sure vicious.]
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It's the most obvious thing in the world. I can read minds, after all.
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[The fact that mind-reading probably counts as a power and no one has their powers doesn't even occur to him. Of course he 100% believes it.]
...I guess if I didn't like Kanata at all I wouldn't have let him follow after me for so damn long, but...
[Ehh, actually, he doesn't want to consider this, so he shakes his head and moves on.]
Well anyway, if you can read minds, have you been pokin' around in everyone's?
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Oh no, Sayaka has to keep herself from chuckling because NOW SHE FEELS KIND OF BAD FOR HIM...]
Oh, no. It's a joke! I just have good intuitions, that's all.
[...]
I-I am sorry, I hope that wasn't rude of me...but that's what I thought. You wouldn't let someone you don't like follow you around; you don't seem like the type of guy to do that. So Kanata-kun must be someone you like.
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Eh, he's not really bothered or embarrassed by falling for it and shrugs both that and her analysis off.]
I'm not used to spendin' time around other people, and the kid was so damn pathetic at first, I figured it wouldn't be much of a pain. And then it was, but... I guess it wasn't all bad otherwise yeah, I would've ditched him.
[There were plenty of opportunities. He considered it sometimes, even. But every time he figured it'd just be easier to keep the kid around. There didn't need to be any more reason to it than that, and he's not going to stop to consider his actions now.]
He's... yeah, he's alright. Wish more people were like him, stupidity and all.
[His gaze has darted as he admits it; for Kanata's many flaws, he is genuinely trying to help people. It's nice to see, really.]
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Sayaka listens to that with the same intent she gives everything else, but. Man, this boy is really sounding more and more like...]
...I think I get what you mean. And I agree with you; if there were more people in the world like that, the world would be a much kinder place.
But I think it takes a certain kind of strength to be like that in the face of everything. I'm glad to hear that you've managed to find a friend like that; he kind of reminds me of someone I know, too.
[Though with that, that's all of Vicious's injuries taken care of for the time being. Sayaka surveys her work and nods.]
And there! That should at least help a bit. How are you feeling?
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The world would be a much kinder place with more people like him.]
Not bad. Not too tight, but not gonna fall off if I move.
[He tests that by bringing his arms up and out, checking to make sure that the bandages are going to hold. Yep, they're good!]
And I've had worse. A little beatin' like this's nothin'!
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That isn't exactly a good thing, you know...but I am glad that I was able to help a bit. Just try to be careful, okay?
I don't want to see something bad happen to you.
[He seems okay, at least. A coarse person, but kind of a soft one deep down.]
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But it passes quickly and he shrugs.]
Kinda hard to avoid that, 'specially since we don't know what the hell's goin' on here, but I guess I can try not to worry you too much.
[It's light and flippant; a deflection so he doesn't have to stop and think about his own feelings.]
waiting
This wasn't expected at all, so for a moment, Junko's emotions just kind of, not go every which way, but in one very particular way that's so very her. Of all the places to run into a familiar face even if Junko herself might not be the most familiar face, it's hopeless really, especially given...well, a number of things that she won't dwell on for too long because that'll just create more problems if she gets carried away with her thoughts.]
We can split it if you want, you probably need it too, right?
[She's not going to outright decline, then she gets the feeling it'll just end up with someone else, so this is really the best option, right? As much as it could be considered the best anyways, also kind of hopeless to expect a better outcome here.]
And it's like...not that they're really being generous, but it's not like either of us know when they might decide to cut back or stop handing out meals. So nobody should probably go without.
sorry for the delay! retail hell is real
Ah. She's stared for too long, hasn't she? Maybe she's just going crazy; maybe she's overthinking it. In a place like this, overthinking doesn't seem like a good idea at all, so Sayaka gives her a practiced smile and fiddles with a bit of hair as she considers her answer.]
Ah...well, I guess you do have a point! [Easy to just go along with the flow, rather than keep denying it, right?] We have to keep ourselves going no matter what happens, that's true. And they could just decide to stop taking care of us pretty quick...
[Especially if people keep being difficult like she's been seeing...still, let Sayaka get started on splitting this up.]
I'm usually pretty good at not needing to eat much, though. [...] It's something you kind of get used to, when you do what I do.