yumemigaoka | open 🎵 patrollin'

open 🎵 patrollin'

⭐ Who: Sayaka Miki & YOU!
⭐ When: Golden Week
⭐ Where: Tsubaki Department Store; Dream Sphere
⭐ What: Sayaka

[ 1. Tsubaki Department Store ]

STOOOOOOPPPPP!!!

[ A girl in a Promised Morning Middle School uniform skids into the aisle where someone's raised their voice to you after you both reached for the same discounted item. Running up to you, she crosses her forearms in an X. ]

There shall be NOOOO arguments or stress on vacation! Explain your problem, and I'll resolve it! Protecting the peace of the city is my duty as a Dreamer, after all!!

[ sayaka that is not even remotely your

okay ]

[ 2. Dream Sphere ]

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!

[ Lovely weather in this area of the Dream Sphere. Except it just started raining girls. And the girl, in turn, is raining swords.

Yes. There are now both a girl in a cape AND half a dozen cutlasses falling from the sky.

What are your priorities? ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Lisa had been reaching for a grater in the kitchen accessories aisle (the internet says butter works better when grated into certain recipes!), but apparently someone else really needs this to cook with. The ensuing squabble is blissfully short, and Lisa is in the process of retracting her hand when some girl in a junior high uniform slides in and... oh, boy. She takes a step back from the shelf entirely and turns to the new arrival.]

I don't know, I'm stressing out of secondhand embarrassment. Would you believe me if I said I was giving up on that thing anyway?

....as long as the conflict is resolved, that's acceptable.

[ Sayaka nods. She is trying her hardest to act Sage and Knowing, but truth be told, she's running out of big words and fancy phrases. ]

BUT! No one's allowed to stress out on my watch! Let's ditch this aisle and find something fun to do, okay?

[Lisa... also slowly nods, thinking for exactly half a second that means she will escape. Alas! The newcomer... has a good idea, actually, let's do that.]

I... could use that, I think, sure. I don't know what kind of fun you're thinking of, though. Like shopping fun, since we're here? Or like... fun fun?

Either way! If shopping's fun for you, then that's what we'll do. Your smile is my priority!

[ NICE! That sounded, like, hero-ish and stuff! SAYAKA IS ROCKING AT BEING A DREAMER. HER BRILLIANT PLAN TO SAVE THE CITY IS WORKING ]

[Despite herself, Lisa's lips turn up in a grin. This girl's brash and perhaps too self-assured, but she's charming, and that forgives a lot.]

Nah. I mean, it is, but that kinda took the wind out of my sails. And I think my wallet will thank me if I give up for today anyway, ahaha...

But I appreciate it. Really.

[ Sayaka tilts her head, simultaneously bashful and proud. ] It's all in a day's work for a Dreamer....

[ WHOOOO that sounded SO COOL ]

Oh! I'm Sayaka Miki, second-year middle schooler! You?

[....nope, gonna let that one pass. Sayaka can have this victory. Speaking of-]

Lisa Imai. Third-year in high school just starting at Promised Morning, because I apparently have both magical powers and a desire to complicate my life.

Ah, then you're -

[ OH SHOOT

she'd been somewhat polite since it was obvious the other girl was older, but -

No, she can't let this slide. Sayaka bows. ]

S-sorry for my rudeness, Senpai!

No, no, stop that. Even if I am happy to be called senpai again, don't be so formal with me, all right, Sayaka-chan? I'm not good with all that. And it's no fun having cute kouhai that talk like robots because they don't want to disrespect me.

[Lisa is living all the same. Any and all stress from earlier is definitely gone already.]

I think you might be my Dreamer senpai, anyway. I have no idea what I'm doing over there.

No, I've only been at it since October, really....

[ though. she sure can't deny how good it feels to hear the words "my Dreamer senpai". does that mean that maybe lisa-senpai....will be looking to her for guidance....?

will be needing...her.... ]

.........what about you?

[You have been noticed by and are noticing Senpai at the same time. It's a paradox and a thought experiment. ~~Fission mailed, Snake.~~]

Still longer than me! Only a couple of months, and I don't have much experience. Torments don't really stand still and give you a tutorial because you clip a beginner's pin onto your dress, y'know? I'm... not really confident enough to go in there without allies to back me up. [Or to back up herself, if she understands her power correctly. Stupid instinctive magic, why can't she have an instruction manual?]

Oh, well, then, I guess I am...ha ha...ha!

[ OKAY SAYAKA PRESSURE'S ON

GOTTA BE A GOOD HERO SENPAI

U GOT DIS

(probably) ]

....Right! You can count on me for that backup from now on. Both sleeping AND waking!

[ This is a Japanese proverb that means "no matter what's happening". Sayaka may think it means "in the Dream Sphere and not". School is not her thing. ]

Hey, you wanna come on patrol some more with me?

[Lisa squints, from a slightly more school-positive background. That is... not what that proverb means. It's close enough for their purposes, but at the rate she's going, Sayaka is going to promote herself to turbo kouhai and Lisa is going to end up with a bodyguard on both sides. Still, she won't turn down some help.]

I'll be counting on you, then, senpai. [She winks; the irony is definitely not lost on her.] Well, sometimes, at least. If I have someone covering me all the time I don't know if I'll get any better. Were you thinking of going, like, now or something? Or we can trade phone numbers, or LINE IDs, or something, and plan for later?

[ She got winked at.....!! Wait, priorities - ]

No no, not in the Dream Sphere! I'm patrolling right now, in the real world....

[ ....Sayaka you took your phone out anyway. How badly do you want senpai's number. ]

In the...? Wait, but we can't do anything on this side, right? [The question mark may be actually visible over her head. But, a second later:] Oh, you're helping people on this side so Torments don't form in the first place! That's actually pretty smart!

[Lisa is trying very hard not to laugh at Sayaka's enthusiasm; the simple happiness and sense of purpose (and maybe a touch of wanting to look cool for senpai) is refreshing, and she'll take this over the alternative any day, and twice on Sunday. She gets her phone out and adds Sayaka before she starts talking and forgets.]

Do you have a patrol route, or do you just kinda follow the people?

Seven of one, half dozen of the other.

[ sayaka. ]

This week I'm keepin' to places where there's lots of people, though. With everybody off school and work, malls and festivals get crowded.....

[ She clenches a fist. ]

There's not many of us with this power. I gotta use it right.

Ah. I see you're a baker at heart, your dozens go to thirteen. [She suspects Sayaka isn't, but Lisa can't let the opportunity pass.] That's a good plan, though. Golden Week brings everyone out, and even if it's a holiday...

[She nods.] If you're going to claim to protect people, do the job the best you can, and be proud of the work you're doing. [Lisa's smile goes a little lopsided, almost apologetic.] Even if people don't take you seriously at first, yeah?

Yeah!

[ Talking about Dreamer stuff totally beats admitting she doesn't get the baking comment. She admires people who are good at stuff like that, it seems like it'd be a nice thing to do for....

anyway. ]

Especially since, like. We get to go somewhere our dreams come true, right? We get to be however we most want to be. And not everybody does.

[ Her expression gets strained for a second, then the smile returns. ]

It'd be rude to them not to work extra-hard!

Yeah. However seriously we take the duty, it’s up to us to make sure people don’t have to deal with Nightmares. Figuratively and literally, I mean. And we get to be cool super-selves along the way, but…

[She sounds like some kind of recruiting ad, which is funny when both of them are new to the work.]

Then again, if we overwork ourselves, we can’t protect anyone, right? We have to be able to take a break every so often, too. [Lisa lets out a breath.] Which comes back around to, thank you for checking on me earlier.

Don't sweat it!

[ Sayaka salutes. Honestly, she's not sure she gets the overwork thing...like, she gets it in theory....but isn't the solution simply to not become overworked no matter what you're doing?

Yeah. Totally that. She's got this. ]

Let's go beat the Golden Week blues, Senpai!

Mm! Let's go! [She raises a fist to the air, giggling. Her mood's lifted enough that she feels comfortable being a little silly at the moment, some of which she's channeling from Sayaka.]

...Well, we never really figured out where we were going other than not here, but. Maybe we can go for a walk and figure something out on the way, mm?

[ She nods. ] A good patroller's alert for anything. Let's check for signs of trouble.

Sure. Let's get out of here. I could go for some fresh air, it's kinda crazy in here.

[Looking around again and shivering a little, Lisa gestures down the escalator, then starts walking.]

I'm still deciding what my "ideal self" is supposed to mean, though. I feel like I'm supposed to be playing the Tokyo Dome when I'm Dreaming, which would make more sense if I'd kept up with my music.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

open 🎵 patrollin'

1;

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject