★ wanna crack the code, her spell is so mysterious

[liedol]

⭐ Who: Ai and you!
⭐ When: End of July through August
⭐ Where: Various prompts around Yumemigaoka and the Dream Sphere
⭐ What: August Ai catchall! With things in the Dream Sphere officially getting Weird, Ai's doing her best to investigate like a good Experienced Dreamer while keeping up with her duties as a Mentor and as an idol. I'm also down for doing closed/private prompts so hit me up on Discord if you'd like to plan something!

Comments

[wracktor]

[ There's alarm bells in his head. This is a trap, he knows it is, somehow. He knows his mother and she's just a little too eager.

He stares at the held out coat... ]

Well. Since the weather's so nice today.

[ ...and he takes the coat. What, like he's gonna tell her no? ]

[liedol]

It's just right for a walk, isn't it?

[ Smile smile. S–somehow it's like having a light shone in your face during an interrogation. ]

We'll go to the one down the street so we don't have to carry things back as far. And there's some sales on, so you can pick out something tasty for dinner. How does that sound?

[wracktor]

[ Why does he hear Kill Bill sirens? ]

So it's bribery, then.

[ As he's putting his coat on, like a mark. ]

[liedol]

Only if it doesn't work. If it does work, then it's a reward for a job well done!

[ Sh–she sounds... so proud of herself... well, it's not like she really would've had to wrangle him into this even without a bribe. The bribe is mostly about feeling herself better for cornering him like this.

It's a little too blustery outside for them to really get into it, but it seems like a good enough time to start easing towards the topic – so once they're out of the house and heading down the street, Ai pipes up again. ]

So, how are things going at school? It's midterms in a little while, right? Are you studying hard?

1/2

[wracktor]

[Oh, no.

Oh, he's starting to see the shape of the trap he's wandered into, now. It's an innocuous question, but it'll surely lead to more. An opening gambit might trip up other people, but he can already see the board in his mind's eye; several moves ahead.

This will inevitably lead to motherly concern if he answers honestly. If he says he hasn't been studying, maybe she will accept that on its own merits, but what if she instead wonders what else he's been doing with his time? Or what he hasn't been doing. Next up might be his social life, clubs--

It would be better to avoid that from the start.]

2/2

[wracktor]

Of course. [Oh so brightly.] I have to keep my grades up, after all.

[liedol]

Oh, is that so? That's good to hear. You've always been a hard worker though, huh?

[ She lets him have one, maybe two seconds to think he might be safe before the true form of this trap snaps closed around him. ]

Have you joined any study groups? Working with your friends makes boring stuff like that go so much quicker.

[ there's no escape ]

[wracktor]

[SCREAMS

Okay okay, it's fine, he's cool. A slight miscalculation. He just needs to pivot, somehow.]

Ah, well. I think I work a little quicker by myself, actually.

[...Not a good swerve, even he knows what a bad excuse that is, true or not. He's trying. It's just hard when she's smiling like that.]

[liedol]

Really? I guess that makes sense. When you're hanging out with your friends, it's easy to end up distracted too. And you end up doing anything but studying!

[ She titters merrily. See? This is obvious not an interrogation. Don't worry about it.

... maybe worry about it a little. ]

Who is it you're studying with, then?

[wracktor]

[He would compare this to some sort of mythological punishment, but it's clearly much worse than that. At least Sisyphus didn't need to talk to his mother.]

...

[He's trying to think of a name to drop that will fit all the necessary criteria. Ideally someone from his class. Someone real, so he can't just make someone up, or the entire house of cards will crumble. It has to be someone who will back him up on the lie. Someone he doesn't hate spending time with, because there is a non-zero chance Ai might try to make contact at some point in time.

There, now he just has to find the center of this eerily specific venn diagram.]

...

[oh he's been quiet way too long]

[liedol]

[ . . .

What, did you think she was going to say something and give him an out?

Nope. She's just walking in silence. Letting him squirm.

At least Prometheus had the ravens to put him out of his misery. ]

[wracktor]

[...He hates doing this, but he has to admit defeat. He has to be

ugh

honest.]

I've been... studying solo at the moment...

[liedol]

I see! [ she says it so nicely. it kind of feels like torture. ] And Ruby's curriculum is a little different now she's at Promised Morning, so she wouldn't be able to help...

[ She lets him stew on that for a second before she continues. ]

But... is there really no one in your class you'd like to study with?

[wracktor]

Not especially...

[But that's fine, right. He's not isolating himself or anything. Not at all.]

[liedol]

Nobody at all? Hmm... that's no good. Don't you have any senpais at club who could help you out either?

[ Said with a Perfectly Innocent expression but the very knowing tone of a woman one hundred percent aware that the only club Aqua is a member of is the going home club. ]

[wracktor]

[There is danger here, but there's also no good options. He's trapped.]

I wouldn't want to bother a senpai with something like that. It isn't as if my grades have slipped at all.

[liedol]

Maybe not. But right now, I'm getting a little concerned about something more important than your grades.

[ Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. ]

[wracktor]

[okay but what if he plays dumb

what if he just plays extra dumb]

My health is fine, also.

[liedol]

Aqua.

[ It's not often she has to bust out the don't give me that bullshit genre of Mom Voice (tm) on Aqua but don't think that means she won't when it's called for. ]

[wracktor]

[ah. he's in trouble trouble, got it.]

...I just haven't really found anyone I'd like to spend much time with. There's nothing wrong with focusing on my studies right now, is there?

[The appeal to education is folly and he knows it. This is Ai, she's not gonna leave it at that. But these are the straws, so here he goes, grasping.]

[liedol]

Let me guess. You haven't found anyone to talk to because you haven't been trying?

[ jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ]

[wracktor]

[There is a Pause. This Pause is where Aqua tries to think of a Good Response. Playing the isolated loner won't do it, education won't do it, the self loathing is absolutely never on the table.

So instead he settles on:]

...No?

[...

he tried?]

[liedol]

[ . . . She actually stops walking right in the middle of the street so she can stare at him. It's kind of awful to be subjected to the full extent of her Mom Perception!!

... but then she gives a great groan of frustration and scrubs at her hair, presumably because if she doesn't get the energy out then it'd be Aqua who'd be getting the noogie here. ]

I can't believe this! You and Amane-kun are just as bad as each other! How on Earth have I ended up dealing with two of you?!