★ what's admitted and omitted – that's her area!

[liedol]

⭐ Who: Ai and you!
⭐ When: End of August through September
⭐ Where: Various prompts around Yumemigaoka and the Dream Sphere
⭐ What: September Ai catchall! Things in the Dream Sphere are really starting to get out of control and with her responsibilities as someone so high up in the DU, Ai's buckling down and trying to focus on protecting the things she wants to keep safe. I'm also down for doing closed/private prompts so hit me up on Discord if you'd like to plan something!

Comments

[darcangel]

Thank you very much.

[ Jeannette has never been summoned to the principal's office in her life. Jeannette does not know how to recognize that energy.

Jeannette, as she enters Ai's office, is all smiles. ]

[liedol]

[ at least she has ONE trainee who isn't a complete troublemaker................. ]

It's good to have you back in Yumemigaoka, Jeanette-chan. Did you have fun on vacation?

[ Said as she bustles around and gets their cookies and drinks together. Snacks are important! ]

[darcangel]

It was not quite a vacation, but yes, I did. My family's newest horse is magnificent.

[ If you look even slightly interested you are going to be told about the horse.

LOOK EVEN SLIGHTLY INTERESTED AT YOUR OWN PERIL. ]

[liedol]

As long as you had a good time, that's the important part, right?

[ effortless dodge. you think it's her first day doing this? ]

I guess I just wanted to catch you back up on what'd happened while you were away. Oh – and you didn't run into any trouble on the other side while you were away, did you?

[darcangel]

Nothing I could not defeat.

[ Very matter-of-fact, an old hand at this who I better earn a buncha points for so I can level up her skillz.

But then her brow clouds, glad to have helped her extended family but slightly guilty for having left her post. ]

....Has it been very busy?

[liedol]

[ in cheery imitation of Jeanette's matter of fact tone. ] Nothing we couldn't handle. [ Wink! ] We're a pretty tough bunch.

[ Which is to say: yes, things have been busy but she's not about to make Jeanette feel bad for having a life and obligations outside of the Dream Sphere.

Then her smile dims just a little. ]

There have been one or two strange things though - and I don't know if you've been caught up, but... people have been running into Dreamer Crimson again.

[darcangel]

[ You'd already had Jeannette's undivided attention, but now that attention is sharp. ]

Dreamer Crimson?

[ She pulls herself up. Jeannette will never forget that Excursion - the searing heat, the sensation of her self burning to ash, and worst of all, the horrible knowledge that she had failed to protect her troops. That an obstacle existed she could not overcome. It wasn't fair! If she'd had one more shot at the place, it would have been had -

But it seems that one more shot may come. ] Has she left the flaming fortress?

[liedol]

It seems like it. [ If she was even there in the first place, of course. From what Zeke and the others had said, she'd seemed shocked enough to see them that Ai could imagine she'd had no clue they were looking for her. Had that been some sort of security system to keep everyone at such a distance she wouldn't even know they'd approached?

That's getting into Ai's speculation, though. What Jeanette needs right now is facts. ]

Two different teams encountered her in some space inside the Dream Sphere they'd never seen before. By the sounds of things it was... well, I was going to say strange, but so is everything over there... so let's say it was especially strange.

[darcangel]

[ Jeannette is so intent she might be forgetting to blink. This is important stuff. Both so she can investigate on her own, and so....Yes, she is definitely going to consult her angel if she gets stuck. And her angel appreciates thorough reports. ]

Tell me all, please.

[liedol]

Mm. Alright.

[ She sets their tray of snacks and tea down and takes a seat herself. ]

So, you should know that this is all secondhand – I wasn't in any of these groups myself, so I only have what they told me. Zeke-kun was leading them both times and they went out hoping to find her again after your group had so much trouble. They ended up in some... strange part of the Dream Sphere without remembering how they got there, and by the sounds of things, being there made their powers go on the fritz too.

[darcangel]

They were defenseless? In the Dream Sphere?

[ Such a thing can happen?! With the Torments and Nightmares around? ]

How awful....

[liedol]

That's how it seems. Hanako-kun had a bit more success than the others, but...

[ Well. Deep breath. ]

The second time they tried to reach her, Crimson herself told them not to come back. And then it seems like she... attacked them, somehow.

[darcangel]

[ Dreamer Crimson attacked them? Herself? Then....she is not held captive, but left of her own accord....? Or could some evil will have taken hold of her....?

Well, there is no use in wondering things when concrete actions can determine them. Jeannette nods and voices the conclusion she draws from this mystery. ]

We must find her again.

[liedol]

... If it's doable, I'd like to. I don't know if it's safe for us to keep going that deep when she doesn't want us to be there but we can't just abandon her. She's a Dreamer like us. She should be saved.

[ And– this isn't a suggestion Ai would make to any other of her trainees, but Jeanette is strong and she's been doing this for so much longer than any of the others... ]

Next month, when things are quieter... should we look together?

[darcangel]

[ Always one to assist where she can, Jeannette nods. ]

Gladly, if you will have me. There is much I would know....

[ And....she has to admit... ]

....and I should make a sorry squire if I did not boldly challenge where I have failed once before.

[ Fear nothing, and permit oneself to lose no ground!!! Like her angel!! ]

[liedol]

[ Her smile comes back - dimmer than usual and a little grave in keeping with the dour topic of conversation, but there's a little relief as well. Pursuing this might be a bad idea - it's not like she and Eliza were at all close and Ai's got plenty on her plate to be worrying about right now as it is.

But she also knows that doing this alone would be an even worse idea. So having someone else along definitely helps ease some of the anxiety. ]

Then that's what we'll do. I'll see if I can't talk to Zeke-kun about maybe coming along with us - he's got the most experience with tracking her down and he'll be able to give us an idea of what to expect if we do end up finding her.

[darcangel]

Oh, his presence would be a great comfort. He and I are well-matched in battle!

[ She tells him how to run at things in a somewhat smartish way and he riffs on it, is what she means, but it works.... ]

Is there any way I can help prepare?

[liedol]

Whatever you usually prepare for an excursion should be fine. I trust you to know what you need.

[ Jeannette's been doing this for a whole five years long before Ai even knew she was around, after all. She can very obviously handle herself. ]

But a refresher on how it felt to get as close to Eliza-chan as you did wouldn't hurt. So I have an idea of what to expect for myself.

[darcangel]

[ "Eliza-chan" must be Dreamer Crimson. Jeannette thinks back. ]

It was....oppressive. Hot, of course, but more than that - the air itself seemed to wish us pushed away. If she is upset we seek her, that push will likely get worse.

[liedol]

You said it was more like a castle when you found it, right? Lava and rocks, like something out of a movie.

[ Interesting... ]

That's different from the way Zeke-kun described things. I wonder... did you end up somewhere different the first time you went looking for her?

[darcangel]

Perhaps she moved when she realized we sought her....

[ Jeannette's brows draw together delicately in thought. ]

Or the dreamscape changed, as she does not wish to be found.

[liedol]

[ Ai nods, more to herself than Jeannette. ]

Mm. That wouldn't surprise me.

[ The part she decides not to voice is just how alarming that thought is. Dreamers who've played around in the Dream Sphere for long enough have some grasp on manipulating its form and logic – it's the sort of thing that comes to you once you get a good enough understanding of how thin the rules that hold everything together is.

But a Dreamer being able to enact as much change as Crimson apparently can? So powerful that she can turn the tides against a group of Dreamers like the ones Zeke had lead?

It makes Ai feel uneasy. ]

... Jeannette-chan. Can I ask you a question? If Eliza-chan says she doesn't want to be found... do you think it's right for us to go out searching for her like this?

[darcangel]

I do.

[ Jeannette closes her eyes, places a hand over her heart. Her advice may seem contradictory....but on this topic, her conscience is clear. ]

Perhaps we are imposing. But the Dream Sphere is not a place for people to remain. And when Torments and Nightmares afflict others.....They wish for things they would otherwise not.

So I will find Dreamer Crimson. I will see, with my own eyes, what has become of her, and why she hides.

[ She opens those eyes. ]

And from there, I will protect her. Even from herself.

[liedol]

[ Ai's returning gaze is serious – her expression is a little more grave than you would expect to see on Dreamer Ai-Doll. But then it softens just a touch and her smile returns as she dips her head in a little nod.

She chose right when it came to picking Jeannette, didn't she? ]

Yes. That's how I feel, too. Nobody should be alone for that long, even if it's something they think they want. So let's do our best to try and bring her home.

[darcangel]

[ Jeannette's returning nod is self-assured. ] We shall succeed!