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yumemigaoka2023-09-15 01:44 pm
beautifuldreamermods) wrote in yumemigaoka2023-09-15 01:44 pm
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Event #5: Fractured Melody
- There's never been an Excursion quite like this. Groups are usually kept small to keep things from getting too chaotic but today, practically every Dreamer in Yumemigaoka has assembled at the northern exit of the Slumbering City. The air is tense – apprehension and fear of the unknown and a whole host of other feelings that nobody quite dares express out loud just in case saying them makes them true. This is the Dream Sphere, after all.
Suffocating sunlight pours down from the sky and catches off the water as everyone wades their way down the tracks. Just at the point that the surroundings begin to fluctuate and the barriers of the dream are just shy of being breeched, Dreamer Ange takes point and turns to address the group.
"I get that this probably goes without saying but whether you're new or an old hand, this is not going to be like any of the Excursions we're used to going on. We don't know for sure how dangerous all this is going to be – all we know is that there's somebody in there who can't protect herself and she needs our help. Keep smart. Stick together – use a buddy system if you have to. Don't even let yourself be alone if you can help it. And anytime you think you're in real danger, head back to the other side and wake up. Understood?"
She waits for a noise of affirmation from the group before turning back around and taking a long, slow breath.
"Let's go."
Like heat haze mirages, the air around them ripples. Making way into a new dream is usually as easy as stepping from one room to another, but finally breaking through to this is more like tearing back a curtain that resisted you every step of the way. And most alarmingly of all is the feeling that settles over everyone when they first set foot in what's waiting beyond, a sort of dizzy hyper-lucidity like a false awakening. It passes quick, but it's unfamiliar... especially since it's a sensation that will be very familiar to some Dreamers...
Welcome to Beautiful Dreamer's very first Disturbance event! To recap from the monthly post, Disturbances are surreal and dangerous dreamscapes that draw directly on the struggles, fears and emotions of a single character, similar to the TV world dungeons in Persona 4 or the Heartscapes in Blue Reflection Second Light. They're unique among Outlying Locations in that they vanish once resolved and incubate extremely powerful enemies at their core who must be defeated to save the person at its heart – in this instance, the idol known as Mio Kasuga.
Using the descriptions in the log below, you may freely toplevel and have characters explore and investigate as you please! The descriptions given in this log are to give direction and progression to the events but please feel free to play around within the bounds of what's established as much as you like. Characters wishing to investigate and uncover additional hints and lore nuggets at the heart of the dungeon should indicate they are investigating in the comment header of their toplevel.
Since this is our first Disturbance event, things are relatively simple. To clear the event and prevent a negative outcome on the plot that will effect both the Dream Sphere and Yumemigaoka, characters must clear both the Mid-Tier and Boss Combat Encounters by the OOC deadline of September 30th.
FRACTURE MELODY
- Upon entering the dream, all Dreamers will first find themselves standing in the paved courtyard of a grand concert hall built from shimmering white marble. It's an imposing structure – somehow, it looks more like a siege fort or a prison than anywhere you might want to go for an evening's entertainment. Despite the dark night sky above, the courtyard where they stand is well-illuminated with most of the lights crossing to center on a massive banner overhead announcing: "Mio Kasuga Live in Concert."
Well. At least you know you're definitely in the right place.
The air is charged with anticipation and a hint of nervousness – all around there's the bustle of excited voices and footsteps of people coming and going but it doesn't seem like there's anyone else at all in the courtyard apart from the Dreamers. And... the sound can't be coming from inside because there isn't a single window on the entire building you can see. Just one way in – a huge ornate door carved in thick, black stone that looks like the door to some sort of dungeon.
As if anticipating guests, it swings open.
Once inside, the Dreamers will be able to split up and explore as they like but for now... looks like there's only one way to go.
!LOBBY
Upon entering, the Dreamers find themselves in an opulent lobby, spacious and open with dizzyingly high ceilings and wraparound balconies that are perilously out of reach for even the most determined of Dreamers. Like the outside, the building's inner walls are crafted from white marble that seems to glow from within and crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, catching the light to send shimmers of rainbow light across the floor and walls. The white marble floor is polished to a mirror shine but whenever someone stops to try and peer down at their reflection, it will fracture and undulate beyond recognizability until they look away.
Along one wall, red velvet drapes cascade from floor to ceiling to frame the entrance to the main stage and all around, various side doors and hallways split off into different directions. Faceless shades – not Torments but not Figments, either – mill around the hall, giving it the appearance of a crowd. But if you pay attention, it becomes clear none of them are actually moving with any sort of purpose; they're randomly drifting here and there to give the illusion of movement and activity. It's clear that these faceless guests are just as much a fixture of the dream as the chandelier is.
It's oddly, eerily silent aside from the scratchy recordings of Pure Candy's songs playing over some unseen speakers. Even that meagre filler noise occasionally gives way to record scratching sounds and indiscernible babbling before lapsing back to the cheery, happy pop of Pure Candy.
That same unpleasant tension from outside is simmering under the surface but by all appearances, this lobby should serve as a safe zone for regrouping and resting as explorations continue.
Along one wall, red velvet drapes cascade from floor to ceiling to frame the entrance to the main stage and all around, various side doors and hallways split off into different directions. Faceless shades – not Torments but not Figments, either – mill around the hall, giving it the appearance of a crowd. But if you pay attention, it becomes clear none of them are actually moving with any sort of purpose; they're randomly drifting here and there to give the illusion of movement and activity. It's clear that these faceless guests are just as much a fixture of the dream as the chandelier is.
It's oddly, eerily silent aside from the scratchy recordings of Pure Candy's songs playing over some unseen speakers. Even that meagre filler noise occasionally gives way to record scratching sounds and indiscernible babbling before lapsing back to the cheery, happy pop of Pure Candy.
That same unpleasant tension from outside is simmering under the surface but by all appearances, this lobby should serve as a safe zone for regrouping and resting as explorations continue.
!MAIN STAGE
Ducking under the curtain and entering the main stage, the Dreamers find themselves amidst a sea of empty, crimson velvet theater seats dimly illuminated by the glow of the overhead crystal chandeliers high up on the ceiling. The rows and rows of seats are arranged in a semicircle around the stage, packed so closely together and to the stage itself that the whole thing feels remarkably claustrophobic.
The stage itself is a vast expanse of obsidian-black marble that captures and amplifies every hint of light, creating the illusion of a swirling galaxy beneath a Dreamer's feet. The effect is something like stepping on a glass floor at the top of an enormous tower; a horrible sense of spinning vertigo. An ebony grand piano stands at the center, its surface speckled with starry reflections both from the spotlights and the backdrop of the stage.
A huge, towering mosaic looms behind the stage, an intricate pattern of shattered mirrors and crystal fragments suspended in mid-air by invisible threads. Each fragment casts light in a slightly different hue with odd perspectives that subtly warp the reflection of anything inside them. Look long enough and you might see a flash of something – or somebody – else. Mio Kasuga as she's seen up on this stage, laughing, smiling, dancing, screaming, singing, crying, performing, laughing, laughing, laughing–
Oh. She isn't in there at all, actually. What were you looking at again?
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: If the Dreamers approach the grand ebony piano at the center of the stage, they will notice that the keys seem to play of their own accord, growing louder and sharper the closer they get. Ethereal notes that fill the air – pleasant at first but then the very pretty melody starts to turn discordant and ramps up in volume as each of those ear-splitting notes resonates with the obsidian stage beneath their feet, creating violent waves of sound that pulse through the main stage.
The hazard here lies in the piano's unpredictable melodies. The resonant waves of sound can cause the marble stage to vibrate and shift, making footing unstable. At times, the vibrations can become so intense that sections of the stage rise and fall like waves, creating gaps and uneven terrain. The Dreamers must time their movements carefully to avoid being thrown off balance or falling into these gaps, all while the hauntingly beautiful music of the piano plays on. Destroying the piano or otherwise putting distance between it and the Dreamer will stop the performance... at least temporarily.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT #2: As the Dreamers explore the seats, they notice a series of spotlights positioned around the perimeter, seemingly at random, each casting a brilliant beam of light. However, if they step into these beams, they realize that they cast long, elongated shadows that move independently of their actual positions.
When the Dreamers step into a spotlight's beam, their shadows take on a life of their own, seemingly pulling them in unexpected directions or shoving them around and tripping them. The only way to disperse them is to shatter the light that created it in the first place... but good luck even getting close when your own shadow is determined to pull your feet our from under you!
The stage itself is a vast expanse of obsidian-black marble that captures and amplifies every hint of light, creating the illusion of a swirling galaxy beneath a Dreamer's feet. The effect is something like stepping on a glass floor at the top of an enormous tower; a horrible sense of spinning vertigo. An ebony grand piano stands at the center, its surface speckled with starry reflections both from the spotlights and the backdrop of the stage.
A huge, towering mosaic looms behind the stage, an intricate pattern of shattered mirrors and crystal fragments suspended in mid-air by invisible threads. Each fragment casts light in a slightly different hue with odd perspectives that subtly warp the reflection of anything inside them. Look long enough and you might see a flash of something – or somebody – else. Mio Kasuga as she's seen up on this stage, laughing, smiling, dancing, screaming, singing, crying, performing, laughing, laughing, laughing–
Oh. She isn't in there at all, actually. What were you looking at again?
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: If the Dreamers approach the grand ebony piano at the center of the stage, they will notice that the keys seem to play of their own accord, growing louder and sharper the closer they get. Ethereal notes that fill the air – pleasant at first but then the very pretty melody starts to turn discordant and ramps up in volume as each of those ear-splitting notes resonates with the obsidian stage beneath their feet, creating violent waves of sound that pulse through the main stage.
The hazard here lies in the piano's unpredictable melodies. The resonant waves of sound can cause the marble stage to vibrate and shift, making footing unstable. At times, the vibrations can become so intense that sections of the stage rise and fall like waves, creating gaps and uneven terrain. The Dreamers must time their movements carefully to avoid being thrown off balance or falling into these gaps, all while the hauntingly beautiful music of the piano plays on. Destroying the piano or otherwise putting distance between it and the Dreamer will stop the performance... at least temporarily.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT #2: As the Dreamers explore the seats, they notice a series of spotlights positioned around the perimeter, seemingly at random, each casting a brilliant beam of light. However, if they step into these beams, they realize that they cast long, elongated shadows that move independently of their actual positions.
When the Dreamers step into a spotlight's beam, their shadows take on a life of their own, seemingly pulling them in unexpected directions or shoving them around and tripping them. The only way to disperse them is to shatter the light that created it in the first place... but good luck even getting close when your own shadow is determined to pull your feet our from under you!
!BACKSTAGE HALLWAY
Once they manage to find a way around the stage's hazards, the Dreamers will be able to make their way into the wings of the stage. Passing through a discreet side door, the Dreamers enter a dimly lit backstage hallway, a stark departure from the grandeur of the main stage. The walls are lined with peeling wallpaper that might have been a vibrant red once upon a time but time and neglect have faded it to a dull, muddy pink. Sconces are placed intermittently along the walls but the light they provide is dim and flickering and only really succeeds in casting eerie shadows that dance across the cracked and weathered floor.
Along the hallway, the walls are dotted with framed photographs that seem to be moments from Mio's life as if captured on film... but they seem oddly distorted, as if the feelings associated with them have caused them to warp and contort. As you progress further down the corridor and the walls narrow to a slightly anxiety inducing squeeze, you'll be able to follow their progression. Mio as a young child in the audience of a stage show, looking awed. Mio as a grade schooler at a piano with her brow furrowed in intense concentration. Mio as a middle schooler despondently watching a competition going on without her. Mio posting an envelope. Mio at some sort of audition. Mio on stage as the centre of Pure Candy–
The last frame has been pulverized by some terrible force, glass shattered and photo almost shredded to pieces. From there to the end of the corridor, every single remaining frame has been broken as if someone had struck it over and over again in the midst of a rage.
At the end of the corridor, in place of a door is... a full length mirror? How strange.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: As the Dreamers approach the mirror stands in place of a door, they become aware of a menacing presence – the mirror seems to radiate an aura of anger and frustration, and the air itself crackles with malevolent energy. Once they draw close enough to see their reflection in the mirror, they'll get the shock of their lives once it starts moving all by itself! It seems like whatever lays beyond is protected by the presence in this mirror who is delighting in forcing them to play along. The presence can be appeased with a little game of 'follow the leader' in which Dreamers must perfectly follow their reflection's movements until the door swings open. A single failure, however, will have their reflection vanish altogether and they'll be forced to wait for another Dreamer to come along to take a second shot at the game.
Of course, there's always the brute force option... but shattering the glass will result in a whole swarm of Torments exploding out of the mirror and you'll be forced to battle your way through in the narrow corridor! Keep on your toes!
Along the hallway, the walls are dotted with framed photographs that seem to be moments from Mio's life as if captured on film... but they seem oddly distorted, as if the feelings associated with them have caused them to warp and contort. As you progress further down the corridor and the walls narrow to a slightly anxiety inducing squeeze, you'll be able to follow their progression. Mio as a young child in the audience of a stage show, looking awed. Mio as a grade schooler at a piano with her brow furrowed in intense concentration. Mio as a middle schooler despondently watching a competition going on without her. Mio posting an envelope. Mio at some sort of audition. Mio on stage as the centre of Pure Candy–
The last frame has been pulverized by some terrible force, glass shattered and photo almost shredded to pieces. From there to the end of the corridor, every single remaining frame has been broken as if someone had struck it over and over again in the midst of a rage.
At the end of the corridor, in place of a door is... a full length mirror? How strange.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: As the Dreamers approach the mirror stands in place of a door, they become aware of a menacing presence – the mirror seems to radiate an aura of anger and frustration, and the air itself crackles with malevolent energy. Once they draw close enough to see their reflection in the mirror, they'll get the shock of their lives once it starts moving all by itself! It seems like whatever lays beyond is protected by the presence in this mirror who is delighting in forcing them to play along. The presence can be appeased with a little game of 'follow the leader' in which Dreamers must perfectly follow their reflection's movements until the door swings open. A single failure, however, will have their reflection vanish altogether and they'll be forced to wait for another Dreamer to come along to take a second shot at the game.
Of course, there's always the brute force option... but shattering the glass will result in a whole swarm of Torments exploding out of the mirror and you'll be forced to battle your way through in the narrow corridor! Keep on your toes!
!DRESSING ROOM
With the mirrors blocking the way crossed one way or another, the Dreamers emerge into what looks at first glance to be a regular dressing room – then with a blink, the oddness of the whole situation asserts itself. The room is divided almost perfectly in two with one side pristine and glamorous, white walls adorned with photographs of "Miomio" posing and beaming at the camera – moments of radiant success, her radiant smile and glittering costumes befitting an idol adored across the nation. A grand dressing table sits against the wall in this half of the room with expensive cosmetics and trinkets scattered across its surface – a sparkling tiara, remnants of glittering confetti, and a copy of Pure Candy's first ever album release. It all sits glittering prettily in the soft light from the chandelier above... but something about the scene feels plastic and hollow. Something about it is wrong.
The other half of the room is in stark contrast – dark, dingy and neglected. It feels dimmer, even though it's under the same light, as if struggling to hold back the shadows. The walls are papered with what was one probably a striking crimson velvet wallpaper but neglect and damage have left it torn and frayed, its rich color faded to a sombre, muted shade. The walls bear faded and torn posters, have ripped from the wall and while there's a second vanity on the other side, it's not in much better shape than anything else on this side of the room. The vanity mirror on this side is cracked and fragmented, reflecting a distorted image when the Dreamers peek into it and empty makeup containers and brushes are in disarray all over the table. It's dirty and dismal over here but... something about it feels more honest, too.
Initially, this appears to be a dead end. However, looking into the shattered mirror will reveal a door in the reflection that does not exist in the actual room. Nothing you can do will make it appear but touching the mirror will allow you to pass through into the reflection (though uh, getting up onto the dressing table is a little awkward...). Once you're in the reflection side of the room, the door can be opened and things start getting really bizarre from there...
There are no hazards here, but interfering with any of the trinkets on the pristine side of the room will spawn a particularly aggressive and surprisingly powerful Torment!
The other half of the room is in stark contrast – dark, dingy and neglected. It feels dimmer, even though it's under the same light, as if struggling to hold back the shadows. The walls are papered with what was one probably a striking crimson velvet wallpaper but neglect and damage have left it torn and frayed, its rich color faded to a sombre, muted shade. The walls bear faded and torn posters, have ripped from the wall and while there's a second vanity on the other side, it's not in much better shape than anything else on this side of the room. The vanity mirror on this side is cracked and fragmented, reflecting a distorted image when the Dreamers peek into it and empty makeup containers and brushes are in disarray all over the table. It's dirty and dismal over here but... something about it feels more honest, too.
Initially, this appears to be a dead end. However, looking into the shattered mirror will reveal a door in the reflection that does not exist in the actual room. Nothing you can do will make it appear but touching the mirror will allow you to pass through into the reflection (though uh, getting up onto the dressing table is a little awkward...). Once you're in the reflection side of the room, the door can be opened and things start getting really bizarre from there...
There are no hazards here, but interfering with any of the trinkets on the pristine side of the room will spawn a particularly aggressive and surprisingly powerful Torment!
!MIRROR MAZE
The Dreamers pass through Mio's dressing room and straight into madness. Behind the mirror room door, they will find themselves entering a gigantic labyrinth, a colossal glass structure impossibly suspended in an infinite expanse of darkness. Its transparent walls extend seemingly infinitely in all directions, creating an eerie sensation of being adrift in a sea of reflections. The glass is flawless and unblemished, but its cold, almost sterile quality stirs up an odd sense of isolation and disconnection.
Trying to find your way in this maze is like... well, a nightmare. Pathways snake and twist in every direction and mirrors reflect each other, creating infinite regressions and dead ends and leaving it more or less impossible to predict what lies around the next corner. It's like trying to navigate a gigantic kaleidoscope, with reflections multiplying and refracting in baffling ways.
While it is possible to navigate, Dreamers must do so carefully. Getting lost in this maze is incredibly easy, especially if you're alone, and once you've gotten turned around there's no reliable way to escape without waking up and returning – and who knows just how much time you'd lose by going the long way round like that? To make matters worse, the maze itself is absolutely festering with Torments. . . and one super pissed off Nightmare right at the heart of the maze!
Dreamers looking to challenge the Nightmare should check into the Mid-Tier Combat thread.
Trying to find your way in this maze is like... well, a nightmare. Pathways snake and twist in every direction and mirrors reflect each other, creating infinite regressions and dead ends and leaving it more or less impossible to predict what lies around the next corner. It's like trying to navigate a gigantic kaleidoscope, with reflections multiplying and refracting in baffling ways.
While it is possible to navigate, Dreamers must do so carefully. Getting lost in this maze is incredibly easy, especially if you're alone, and once you've gotten turned around there's no reliable way to escape without waking up and returning – and who knows just how much time you'd lose by going the long way round like that? To make matters worse, the maze itself is absolutely festering with Torments. . . and one super pissed off Nightmare right at the heart of the maze!
Dreamers looking to challenge the Nightmare should check into the Mid-Tier Combat thread.
!HEART CAGE
Somewhere deep within the maze is an unassuming looking door that when crossed through...
darkness awaits.
darkness awaits.
no subject
[Not that he particularly wants to know how many tattoos or gross things Ango's picked up in the past, but that was such a specific example that he couldn't help but feel Decadence used this particular coping mechanism quite a bit.
His eyes slide over to the pristine half of the room, picture perfect in it's sparkle and luster, silent as he turns over Ango's musings in his head. There was something familiar about the duplicity of it all-- the clean, pure, unassuming image in contrast to the messier, damaged, but more authentic side that wasn't meant for other's eyes. Quietly, he sets the pamphlet in his hands back upon the dresser, before stuffing his hands into his pockets.]
Maybe it is fake, though. [For a second, his face goes unreadable and a bit distant as he takes one more glance at the perfectly pretty side of the room, as if his mind was on something else.] It's not like it's all that hard to put on a mask and pretend you're okay for the sake of others.
[But then his blithe smile is back, shooting it carelessly in Ango's direction as if what he said was an absolutely normal conclusion for a boy his age to have come to on his own.]
... or something like that, anyway ☆ There could be some stuff she's proud of while she was in the group, too! It's probably not as cut and dry as we might think it is.
[At that, he makes his way over towards the wardrobe on the dingier side of the room-- given the state of things, he doubted there was really anything exciting in there, but maybe there were some clues hiding in there that they weren't aware of...?]
It would be kinda funny if we found some actual skeletons in her closet, though!
[Hanako, please, the vibes are already bad in here as it is, don't manifest this--]
no subject
Inside the wardrobe, hanging there almost reverently is... a plain, short-sleeved black dress. It's not exactly fancy but it's neat and probably the closest you'd be able to manage a professional look for a girl Mio's age. The sort of thing you might wear to a formal event... like a piano recital. ]
no subject
[When Ango was the brat's age... didn't he do the same thing? At school, he was a carefree prankster who knew how to make other people smile, even though his jokes usually came at his own expense. At home, he lost himself in novels so he wouldn't hear his parents fight. His writing was always a form of escapism, until it became the thing he was trying to escape.]
...Right.
[He'll let the brat's comment go for now, but he won't forget it. Kids like Hanako and Mio, and even himself 20 years ago... they're dealing with some real shit, not just teen angst.
He takes a peek into the wardrobe and frowns at the black dress. Mio probably wore it for concerts, but it seems too formal for someone her age. Ango hates formalwear - it makes him think of funerals and awards ceremonies, two events that he's always desperate to avoid.]
This Mio kid, she's still in high school, right?
[It's not like it's unheard of for an idol to shave a few years off their official age, but still, she's gotta be pretty young.]
If she was a serious pianist even before she became an idol, then she must have spent years practicing for hours every day... you've gotta wonder if she even had time for normal stuff like school and friends. So then she joins Pure Candy, and she's gotta pretend to be best buddies with a bunch of girls she's never met... girls who all want to be stars. They're not friends, they just know that they're more marketable as a group.
[Ango heads to the unsettlingly bright side of the room and starts to look around. He could have sworn he saw a door reflected in the broken mirror, but now it's gone... weird. He'll deal with that later - right now, it's detective time. His attention immediately goes to the Pure Candy album, the one that felt so wrong when he first noticed it. He leans in and squints at the cover, trying to get a closer look at the lineup of girls.]
no subject
He turns his head towards Decadence as he approaches from behind, blinking for a moment at that question before actually giving it some thought.]
... huh? I dunno, I think so? I don't really know much about her or her group, to be honest.
[Whether Hanako's lack of knowledge about this girl was a boon or a burden, it was hard to say-- on one hand, without a prior bias towards her, he could probably pick up on things that others might not have considered. But on the other... knowing a bit about Pure Candy's dynamic and fame would have helped a lot in piecing together this puzzle a little better.
He frowns a bit in thought as he follows Ango out of the wardrobe and towards the other half of the room, turning over what they had just saw along with the other man's musings. He feels like he was about to hit upon something, and soon...]
I wonder though... that dress was in pretty good condition, wasn't it? Compared to everything else on this side... even if it wasn't fancy, she must have really cherished it, huh? Maybe...
[And suddenly, it feels so obvious. The defensive piano in the theatre. The photos of her practicing still remaining intact. The pamphlets in the dresser, and the pristine dress in the closet. Perhaps this was the easy answer, but--]
Maybe this whole idol stuff isn't what she really wanted. Maybe she wanted to keep doing piano instead, but now that she's already tangled up in the group, she can't exactly go back to where she started from. I'm sure all that stuff you said about the other girls and lack of time are true, too, but...
[He hovers a bit near Ango's shoulder as he peers at the cover, peeking over to get a better look at it himself. The urge to turn it over and see the rest was strong, but the spotless atmosphere of everything around them felt a bit intimidating.]
If piano is what she really loved, then why even audition to be an idol to begin with? It's not like something you just stumble into by accident. And especially not if there's a bunch of other folks involved, too.
1/2
It's a pretty, inoffensive cover. The girls all posing prettily against a white backdrop with confetti, ribbons and balloons in their image colours all scattered artfully about and the group's logo in the space at the bottom. They're all smiling and Mio in the center looks particularly bright and cheery.
Another tidal wave of foreign feelings rises up: rage and disgust. Why is she smiling like that? What the hell does she have to be happy about? Was she really so stupid back then that she didn't see what she was getting into? Why did you give up? Why did you settle for this? I CAN'T TAKE THIS. I'M SO SICK OF THIS. WON'T YOU LET ME GO? WHY CAN'T I GO BACK? I WANT TO BREAK EVERYTHING. I WANT TO BREAK EVERYTHING. I WANT TO– ]
no subject
When Ango comes to, he'll realize that in the haze of feeling, he'd picked up the CD and smashed it repeatedly against the dresser until it shattered, case and disk and all.
Oh. He didn't mean to do that, did he? ]
no subject
But the moment the CD smacks down onto the dresser, the sharp, brittle snap of plastic cracking against the hard surface of the table, Hanako jolts, eyes darting Ango in nervous disbelief.]
H-Hey...
[Was this some sort of joke...? Surely Ango knew better than to damage something like that in something as delicate as a place like this, right...? But Ango just continues to smash and shatter the case, almost as if he was under a trance, and the escalating violence of it all was starting to alarm Hanako greatly. Sure, he may have threatened the guy before, but seeing him pulverize this innocuous looking CD in an abrupt, sudden fit of rage... it was actually scary. Terrifying, even.
Hanako's voice rises in pitch and desperation as he tries to reason with him, the sound of destruction nearly drowning out his shouts as he reaches for his arm.]
HEY--!! O-OLD GUY!! KNOCK IT OFF...!!
[He scrambles to try to pull Decadence back, his arms and legs looping around the older man in a vain attempt to haul him away from doing further damage. Unfortunately, he was just a spindly, tiny teenage boy against a full grown adult, and even with Dreamer strength on his side, whatever was possessing Ango at the moment was determined to see this through.
Finally, it seems like whatever fury possessed Ango spent itself through, the only remains of the once pristine album in silvery, jagged plastic shards upon the dresser table. Hanako stares at the carnage, trembling like a leaf in the breeze against the man's back, before fearfully glancing towards Decadence, voice small and uncomprehending.]
W-What's wrong with you? Why in the world did you do that...??
no subject
Huh? What the... get off me, you're heavy...
[Ango lurches forwards, unaccustomed to the weight of another person, and catches himself against the dresser. That's when he notices the silvery shards of broken plastic and shattered perfume bottles... a paper booklet, the only semi-recognizable remnant of the Pure Candy album, is crumpled and torn and stained with enough blood to obscure the faces of the members.
...His blood. Ango's hands are covered in deep cuts from the jagged plastic. Was the kid trying to hold him back?]
Ow... fuck...
[He takes off his jacket and uses it to soak up the blood, then meets the brat's terrifed expression with one that probably looks more similar than he'd care to admit.]
That... that wasn't me. It's Mio... she's really hurting. She just wanted to play piano, but she gave up, and... and now she's trapped, and she can't break her way out... even if she did, she can't go back to the way things were...
[He's babbling, but the sheer weight of Mio's emotions makes it difficult to work them into coherent thoughts. There's just anger... anger turned inward and reflected on itself in the glass prison of Mio's heart]
Shit, we've gotta warn everybody... I think she's willing to bring this whole glass house down on herself.
no subject
But then Ango explains, and... well, it certainly didn't make things any better, in his opinion. He wasn't about to question the fact that Mio's feelings outright took him over-- Hanako, with his whole ass Possession ability, knew better than that-- but the fact that they were so volatile, so all consuming...
... if anything, though, at least he knew their hunches proved to be right, and that was maybe one step closer to unravelling the knot that was this whole horribly tangled situation. Still, his brow furrows a little, despite his lingering fear, not necessarily against this plan of action Ango proposes, but--]
How, though? The Dreamers still in the lobby are one thing, but-- we don't even know where Mio is in this place. It's not like there's anything here past this room aside from her wardrobes, and we already know one of those is a dead end.
Besides... what can we even do for her? It's not like we can purify a whole location like we would a Nightmare. We're Dreamers, not exorcists.
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[Fuck, he really is useless when it comes to this Dreamer stuff. And even if he didhave combat-oriented powers, he's realistically too injured to fight. Still, if he knew where Mio was in this cursed place, he'd summon her a cup of hot cocoa and tell her that she's not alone.]
I figured she'd be waiting for rescue, but she's no princess in a tower... Mio built this place, or at least her subconscious did. She wanted to disappear.
[A horrible new possibility suddenly strikes him.]
Shit, remember last month when we had to stabilize a bunch of places to keep them from breaking off from the rest of the Dream Sphere? What if that happens here? What happens to Mio? What happens to anybody else who's still here with her?
[Mio has to be somewhere in this place... her presence is everywhere. This can't be a dead end.
Then Ango remembers the door he saw reflected in the broken mirror.]
There's a door! Not in the room itself, but it's reflected in the mirror... there's gotta be some way through it. Listen, kid, we oughta split up. I can't fight like this, so I'll head back to the lobby and tell Ange what we found. You keep going, and try to get Mio and everybody else out of this place before it all comes crashing down.
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Before he can speak up, say that maybe they could try their Stabilizers in a vain attempt to stop that from happening, Decadence drops that final observation, and Hanako blinks for a moment at him, stunned.]
Wait, seriously--?
[His eyes glance to the fractured mirror on the dilapidated side of the room, and-- well, wouldn't you know it, there was a door hidden in the reflection of the opposite wall the whole time! He's not sure how he might have missed it (maybe he had been too distracted by the pamphlets earlier), but Ango was proving himself to be more perceptive than Hanako had given him credit for.
He's about to hover over to the dresser (getting in through the mirror was a lot less awkward when one could float!!), but the last part of that whole thing gets him to pause, his eyes wide as he shifts his sights back over to the other man.]
But--
[He falters for a moment, the lingering fear of what had just transpired getting him to hesitate in the face of these plans. What if there were more puzzles and tricks beyond this door? What if Mio was in a place he wouldn't be able to reach? Would she even want to leave in the first place, if she had went through all of this just to disappear...?
... no, he couldn't think like that right now. He was an Experienced Dreamer (and technically Decadence's senpai), so he had to start acting like one. This situation was admittedly new and unprecedented even for the more seasoned members of the Union, but he couldn't let himself fall prey to his doubts and dismay during a time as crucial as this.
Steeling his face, he nods, but not before undoing the iridescent ribbon adorning the lapel of his jacket and wordlessly passing it over to Ango. Hanako may never have handkerchiefs on his person in this form, but hopefully the ribbon would be enough to wrap some of those injuries on Decadence's hand until he was able to run into Ange or another Saver and get them patched up. Don't say he never did anything for you, old man!!]
... got it. I'll see if I can track her down and warn the others, and you should do the same for whatever Dreamers you come across too. The more people who know exactly what we're dealing with, the better.
[Although, spoiler alert, Hanako's just going to get caught up in a Nightmare fight and a whole bunch of other Dreamers are going to give Mio her much needed wake-up call/therapy session instead, but...!! THE INTENT WAS THERE]