Event #6: Deadly Ever After

[beautifuldreamermods]

“Even now, no one knows the secret that lies under the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Perhaps one might call it “loneliness.” But the man no longer had to fear loneliness, for he had become loneliness itself.”
Sakaguchi Ango, “Under The Cherry Blossoms In Full Bloom”




Welcome to our second Disturbance event! To recap for new players, 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, it's our very own Ango!

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.

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 November 30th.

ARRIVAL

As the mist between dreams begins to clear, Dreamers find themselves wandering through the narrow, crooked streets of a feudal-era Japanese city. Squat buildings made of dark wood and weathered plaster seem to sigh under the weight of their sloping, tiled roofs, paper windows shut tight against the cold night air and the prying eyes of strangers. A blood-tinged full moon hangs heavy in the sky, casting long, eerie shadows. Its cold light washes out all color, save for one… the soft petal pink of the cherry trees that line every street of this place. Tangled trees grow from gaps between buildings and from cracks in the stone pavement, laden with blossoms despite the mid-November chill.

While Ango’s dream looks like something straight out of a made-for-TV samurai drama, the ground is littered with the garbage of modern life: empty cans, snack wrappers, crumpled paper and cigarette butts. On closer inspection, most of the buildings are little more than shoddily constructed movie set pieces, empty on the inside apart from even deeper piles of trash.

The city spread in all directions, but the Dreamers’ destination is clear. Perched on a high stone bluff, the white walls of a samurai lord’s castle gleam in the moonlight. Even from a distance, it’s clear that the grand castle is a ruin, held together – or torn apart – by the roots of hundreds of massive cherry trees.

♫ Surge – Wonder Egg Priority



!

THE TEMPLE

In this foreboding place, the old Zen Buddhist temple is an island of uneasy calm. Behind high stone walls, the temple’s ornate buildings and courtyards provide a safe spot for Dreamers to regroup. Savers have set up a medic station beneath the intricately carved wooden roof of the main hall. A towering (if somewhat dilapidated) pagoda makes the temple easy to find even in the maze of dark streets between it and the castle.

Despite the temple’s age, it’s clear that this place has been cared for. The ever-present garbage has been swept aside, so only fallen sakura petals cover its pathway. The main worship hall that would normally hold the sacred images of Buddha is empty, but there are still offerings of incense and rice wine on the altar where a statue once sat. Maybe Ango used to believe, but all that remains now is a lingering desire, a longing for something to believe in.

There are no Torments here, only the occasional Figment tracing meaningless patterns on the sand in the meditation garden.

!

NAMIKASE SHOPPING STREET

In the old days, large temples often had a nakamise – a row of open-air shops lining the street between the inner and outer gates of the temple precincts, selling everything from incense and prayer beads to snacks and souvenirs. This nakamise offers an even more baffling array of goods: ghoulish papier-mâché demon masks and suits of samurai armor alongside plastic rice cookers and vintage 90s fashion, daruma dolls and good luck charms next to broken mobile phones and expired bags of curry-flavored chips. The accumulated junk of Ango’s mind is stacked high, spilling off shelves and onto the floor. The open storefronts beckon curious Dreamers to step inside, but to be honest, most of the items for sale are nearly indistinguishable from the garbage on the ground.


⧖ HAZARD ALERT: As Dreamers walk past, they’ll hear clattering and groaning from within the shops. If they don’t quicken their pace, they’ll be attacked by a Torment formed from an aggregate of random items. With a TV for its head and many limbs made from broken guitars and umbrellas held together with cheap toys and old clothes, it’s not an especially powerful enemy… but it will continue to re-form itself from available junk until Dreamers manage to drive it back into its trashy lair, so it’s more troublesome than it looks.

Dreamers who jump onto the tiled roofs to bypass the Torment will find themselves smacked back down to the ground by a large, vaguely humanoid creature with huge wings covered in black feathers. It’s no angel, though… it’s a Torment in the shape of a tengu, the winged guardian spirits of mountain temples. This tengu wields a heavy iron staff, smashing roof tiles (and unlucky Dreamers) with every blow. Its face is covered by a scowling, long-nosed mask. While this physically powerful Torment will be a challenge for all but the strongest and most agile Dreamers, breaking its mask will cause it to dissipate into a cloud of feathers.

!

RESIDENTIAL AREA

Once Dreamers pass through the outer gate of the nakamise, they’ll emerge into a quiet residential district. The stately upper-middle-class homes have all fallen into disrepair, but glimpses into their walled gardens can be had through gaps in the decaying plaster. The cherry trees are larger and wilder here, their branches growing up through buildings and bursting through the uneven streets. Most of the buildings are dark and empty, but light flickers through the torn paper windows of one of the larger residences.

Upon entering the dilapidated estate, Dreamers will find that the flickering light comes from a series of old-fashioned film projectors that have been set up inside its rooms, beaming grainy black-and-white footage onto cracked walls.

Ango may be a novelist-turned-screenwriter, but here, he’s a movie star. The films consist of short, silent clips spliced from snippets of memory, all featuring Ango and three men who are clearly close friends. They laugh over glasses of bottom shelf whiskey in a Tokyo basement bar, they get shot down trying to pick up girls in Kabukicho, they crash on the floor of Ango’s apartment after all-night marathon writing sessions, they pose for stupid selfies at each other’s book signing events. But as Dreamers wander through the sprawling house, the films begin to change… one by one, Ango’s companions disappear. The lighthearted clips are interspersed with scenes of funerals, drunken arguments, and empty seats at the bar. Ango in bed staring wide-eyed and sleepless at the digital clock as it ticks over to 4:00 AM. Ango running, even though he knows that he’s already too late. Ango fidgeting in the smoky waiting room of a loan shark’s office. Ango punching a hole through the cardboard wall of his apartment. Ango trying not to cry. In the final reel, Ango is alone, drinking cheap shochu from a paper bag and wandering Tokyo’s streets at night.

When Dreamers finally leave the house, they’ll notice a splatter of fresh blood on the street.

⧖ HAZARD ALERT: While the house itself is free from dangers, Dreamers exiting the building will suddenly be attacked from above by bird-like Tormets that tear at their hair and clothes. In Japanese superstition, seeing birds at night is a bad omen. These may be smaller than the tengu before, but these black-winged creatures are still a danger to inexperienced Dreamers - they attack in swarms with their sharp beaks and clawed feet, and they seem determined to steal anything shiny… including Sandglass weapons!

!

BACK ALLEYS

Following the trail of blood will lead Dreamers to a neighborhood of narrow back streets that run alongside the river. Occasional paper lanterns provide just enough light to see by, but this is a place for people who don’t want to be seen. Dreamers will begin to experience the unsettling sensation that they’re being pursued through the twisting, claustrophobic streets. A faint odor of smoke lingers in the air, reminding Dreamers just how quickly this whole city could burn to the ground.

Dimly lit neon signs outside the cramped back-alley bars advertise cheap booze and all-you-can-drink specials, and the sound of Showa-period pop songs echoes from inside. If Dreamers peek inside, though, they’ll find that the buildings here are like everything else in this city: empty façades stapled together from plywood and cardboard, an illusion that falls apart under the slightest scrutiny. The tinny music is coming from an old cassette player.

Dreamers will notice that one of the bars is little more than a burned shell reeking of charred wood and gasoline, still faintly smoldering in the cold air. Outside, there’s more blood on the ground.

Something shiny glints from the floor of the burned wreck - a pair of cracked sunglasses. Ango’s sunglasses, the silly prescription-strength ones he always wears because he’s self-conscious about being nearsighted. The fake building went up in flames so quickly that some of its contents have survived, trapped under fallen debris.

⧖ HAZARD ALERT: Dreamers will find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders, unable to shake the feeling that something is following them. Whatever fears and worries they might be running from in the real world will manifest in the shadows, chasing them off the relatively well-lit path and into even darker, narrower side streets. It’s easy to get disoriented here, where the streets seem to bend back on themselves in ways that violate the basic rules of geometry. Dreamers will need to think clearly to find their way out, or risk being lost with only their own fears for company.

⧖ INVESTIGATION: Dreamers who investigate the wreckage of the fire will soon realize that they are being followed… by Ango himself!? He’s standing silently on the roof of the neighboring building, dressed in a formal samurai costume with a sword in his hand - a sword that’s still dripping with fresh blood. Besides him stands a mysterious woman wearing a pink kimono. With her long dark hair, she almost resembles a certain idol… but the glint in her eyes is cruel.

!

CASTLE DUNGEON

Dreamers who skip the back alleys and proceed towards the center of the city will soon reach the fortified outer walls of the castle. Isolated on a sheer cliff cut by the river, the main keep can only be reached by a long stone staircase that winds through boulders and battlements. The path is frequently blocked by the thick, gnarled roots of cherry trees that have broken through solid stone. Petals float like snow from the hundreds of trees above, growing through the windows and walls of the ruined castle.

Finally, Dreamers will reach a courtyard that’s dominated by an even larger cherry tree encircled by sacred shimenawa ropes. The shimenawa mark the boundary between the mundane and the spiritual, the home of an enshrined deity. The enormous tree certainly has a divine presence, with branches outstretched over the courtyard like the many arms of the Buddhist goddess of mercy.

Passing warily beneath the sacred tree, Dreamers will find the castle gates open and unguarded. Those expecting the castle to be another hollow set piece will be surprised to find that the lowest level, the dungeon, is packed from floor to ceiling with books. Thousands upon thousands of books, all tossed into haphazard piles so dense that Dreamers are forced to climb over them in places.. Oil lamps set into the monolithic stone walls provide just enough light to read by, so they'll see that every book bears the same author's name: Sakaguchi Ango. But every novel is half-filled with blank pages, some trailing off after only a few lines of text. These are the stories Ango never finished. Amid the heaps of books are crumpled sheets of loose paper - rejection letters from publishing agencies, unpaid bills, and torn-out magazine articles featuring scathing reviews of everything Ango's ever written.

⧖ HAZARD ALERT: There's no obvious way to reach the upper floors of the castle. No staircase, no ladder, no crack in the heavy wooden beams that make up the ceiling. But fans of ninja movies and escape rooms will realize that this is actually a ninja trick house - a building designed with secret hiding places and concealed escape routes. Astute Dreamers will notice that there's an area of the floor that's suspiciously clear of accumulated junk - above it, a section of the ceiling can be pulled down to reveal a hidden staircase.

Making one's way across through the neck-deep mess of books and paper will prove to be treacherous, though. One careless move can cause an entire stack of books to collapse, and the piles of garbage provide precarious footing.


!

CASTLE LIBRARY

Dreamers who make it past the trick staircase will be met with an awe-inspiring sight: the entire upper part of the castle is an enormous library, with bookshelves reaching up several stories into darkness. A network of dangerously narrow ladders, balconies and catwalks provides access to the upper shelves. The books are an eclectic, disorganized collection of the works of every storyteller who's had an impact on Ango, whether they ever wrote them down or not - from Edgar Allan Poe and Akutagawa Ryuunosuke and Agatha Christie to the nameless drunks who shared their life stories with strangers on the subway, all bound in rich leather like treasured tomes.

The cavernous room is lit by the haunting glow of floating paper lanterns, just like the ones sent down rivers on the last night of the Obon festival to guide the spirits of the dead to the next world. The floor here, too, is covered in paper and forgotten books. As Dreamers explore the vast space, a cold wind will sweep through and stir the loose pages. The library seems empty... but they aren't alone.


!

THE FOREST

When Dreamers touch the sacred tree in the center of the castle courtyard, the air around them will momentarily shimmer... and they'll find themselves standing beneath the same tree, now surrounded by a castle in an even more advanced state of ruin than before. The roots and branches of countless cherry trees have completely consumed the library, eating through its walls and roof until little of the original structure remains. The trees bloom profusely until sakura petals blanket the courtyard nearly knee-deep in places, obscuring wide cracks in the pavement below. There's a madness to their beauty, a feral taint to their faint, sweet fragrance.

She’s been waiting.

code

Comments

QUESTIONS & INTERACTION REQUESTS

[beautifuldreamermods]

MID-TIER COMBAT ENCOUNTER: KYORINRIN

[beautifuldreamermods]

NIGHTMARE ENCOUNTER

♫ My Real – Blue Reflection: Second Light

The wind grows stronger, picking up scraps of debris and tearing pages from books until they coalesce into a solid mass of paper. The mass stretches and writhes until it becomes a huge snake... no, a legless dragon, with scales of torn paper and horns made from ancient scrolls. The monster's empty eye sockets glare down at any Dreamers unlucky enough to have awakened it.

The Kyourinrin is a Nightmare inspired by the youkai of the same name - a "bookworm" spirit said to haunt old Japanese libraries and punish those who fail to appreciate the knowledge they protect. While the huge paper dragon is weak to physical damage and fire, it can rapidly re-form damaged parts of its body from the abundant supply of paper all around it.

The Kyourinrin attacks with blasts of icy cold wind, sweeping Dreamers off their feet and tossing them into the air while heavy books rain down from above. Those who climb the library's ladders and catwalks to get a better position risk being whipped aside by the fast-moving creature's tail. Dreamers will have to strike quickly before The Kyourinrin manages to regenerate!

WIN CONDITIONS:

⧖ At least 3 characters must show up to fight
⧖ At least 15 comments must be posted across 2 threads.

[thezekeinator]

Hmph. This is it?

[Dreamer Chaosbringer extends one hand towards the Nightmare as if questioning its very existence, then rolls his shoulders into a dramatic shrug.]

Fine, fine. I guess an easy one's a good change of pace. Ready to make ourselves look good?

[thestarknows]

A huge thing like this... and all paper. It's almost a shame to destroy it.

[Only almost, though. This thing is a Nightmare. She looks to Chaosbringer, then nods -- and draws back an arrow.]

Ready.

[noonecandestroythemetal]

[Dreamer DropD-Tune faces down the rather large paper dragon with a frown on her face. Really, she's a nerd at heart, despite her attempts to play it cool. She likes books, likes reading, and she's not fond of the idea of destroying so much knowledge all willy-nilly.]

I don't suppose you'd be willing to make an attempt to come quietly? I'm sure you're full of someone's important research or knowledge, otherwise. Honestly, I'd hate to have to ruin you.

[The Kyourinrin has no such qualms. For its part, it lashes out with its tail at Sam--and she only barely manages to dodge that first salvo. She had been expecting something like it, at least.]

Well, you can't say I didn't give you an option!

[hgs]

[Cinnabar is likewise not inclined to destroy a perfectly good library. Under different circumstances, they might spend hours in a place like this just deciding what to read first. Supposedly, most ordinary people are unable to read in dreams, but Dreamers are hardly ordinary... and Cinnabar heard that the Dreamer at the center of this disturbance was formerly a novelist. They've never seen so many books, not even at the public library in Yumemigaoka.

There's no time to admire the collection, though. Sam - DropD-Tune - is in trouble. The Nightmare may only be made from paper, but Cinnabar doesn't want to know what a paper cut from something that big looks like.]

I don't think negotiations are going to work! If it even has ears, I don't think it could hear us over all this wind!

[The mercury contained in Cinnabar's body makes them too heavy to be pushed around by the Kyourinrin's wind-based magic, but the books constantly pelting their mercury shield from above make it difficult to dodge the whipping tail, much less to formulate an attack plan.]

BOSS COMBAT ENCOUNTER: SAKUYAHIME

[beautifuldreamermods]

The woman from the burned building is standing by the castle gate, with Ango by side. Her pale pink kimono is decorated with a pattern of cherry blossom, and the fine quality of the silk makes it clear that she's some kind of noblewoman or princess. Which makes Ango her... bodyguard? Servant? Certainly not an equal - he stands half a step behind her, hand on the hilt of his sword and a dazed look in his eyes. He blinks as if trying to clear his vision… maybe he really is half-blind without his glasses.

The woman isn’t human, but nor is she like any of the Torments the Dreamers have faced. A pair of long white horns emerge from the woman's forehead, and her sharp teeth gleam as she smiles. When she speaks, her voice is as sweet as plum wine.

"Do you know why cherry trees bloom so beautifully? It's a secret, but you've made it so far that I just have to tell you."

She steps forward, the heels of her wooden geta shoes clicking against the pavement.

"The secret is blood, of course. Our roots drink from the dead, and their blood dyes our petals. Their rotting corpses feed our leaves, and their bones become our branches. Don't you think that's beautiful? Now that you know, don't you feel like you can truly appreciate the madness of spring?"

She pauses a moment for dramatic effect, but failing to garner the reaction she wanted, she lets out a little huff of annoyance.

“Ango, darling… kill them.”

[timelessmage]

Frieren stands at the ready, staff in hand, and observes.

The Nightmare's human-like appearance leaves her unfazed; only a glint of cold hatred shines in her eyes as she sizes it up. She's exterminated Nightmares masquerading as humans before. Like them, this one is little more than a parody of a person, drawing on emotions to better prey on its victims—utterly loathsome.

If the Nightmare is foolish enough to waste its time speaking, then she will take full advantage. Her aim is to draw out information: from its words, hints as to the Disturbance's inner workings, and from her own Analysis, its strengths and weaknesses. For the latter, all she need is enough time undisturbed.

However, Ango, the Dreamer they're meant to rescue, may too prove a threat… one they can't simply take down. He's no Figment, that much is obvious from his magical signature. Her cursory Analysis of him is enough to tell her that something is off, but she can't afford the time for a deeper dive right now. The Nightmare takes priority. She keeps her eyes trained on Ango as her magical sixth sense scans the creature at the heart of the Disturbance.

[determinationtofist]

[ In stark contrast to Frieren, there is Hibiki—or rather, Gungnir—who is looking over at Ango worriedly. Of course she notes the fact that the woman next to him looks remarkably similar to Ai, but it's definitely not her. ]

H-Hold on! Ango-san, we're here to help you!

[ Maybe they can appeal to him without fighting? Even if it's unlikely, it's worth a shot. ]

[i_peace]

Namikase Shopping Street

Tycoon's gotten unlucky this time around. He can't help himself, between being the one normally doing the cleaning around the apartment he used to live in with his sister and helping around storefronts, he keeps stopping to periodically try and straighten up the store displays, or pick up the trash that litter the streets, only to be assailed by the Torments hiding in said storefronts. It's a simple Torment though, it's body easily shredded by the blade that Tycoon uses, but he keeps stopping and getting attacked for it.

After a while, he tries the higher route. His ninja motif isn't just for show after all and getting the height he needs to get to the roofs was effortless. While his steps are silent, but the crashing sound that soon follows him is not; Tycoon can be seen (or, more likely, heard) dodging blows from the Tengu Torment attacking him and raining broken tiles down onto the streets below with each miss. One particularly nasty blow sends the poor tanuki crashing into a storefront in front of any other Dreamers with an oddly understated "Oof!"

Back Alleys

Tycoon goes running down the blood trail as soon as he spots it. The way he dashes after it gives the impression that he's worried that someone was hurt at the end of it, rather than out of curiosity. Really, he was here for Mio's disturbance, he should know better. Tycoon doesn't even notice the sensation of being followed when he first enters the back alleys though he does slow down once he realizes that there’s likely nobody at the end of this trail. But by that point, he’s far enough in the alleys that going back seemed like a wasted effort.

He tries his best to ignore the oppressive silence, an almost tangible absence of any living soul hovering in the shadows. There's nothing in these dimly lit streets, a sight oddly similar to the empty haunted house that he'd walked into during the Halloween after party, and yet Tycoon keeps looking over his shoulder once in a while, expectant, only to turn back around with a shake of his head.

The sight of the burned out bar causes Tycoon to run in only to stop at the sight of the blood on the ground. It... Doesn't really make sense. He looks at the charred and ruined bar before walking in, mindful of the blood.

"Hello? Are you okay? ... Is anyone here?"

He stops at the sunglasses on the floor, picking it up gently before looking around at his surroundings, brows knitted in worry. What could they do...?

Namikase Shopping Street

[thestarknows]

One of those tiles comes crashing down, shattering into so many fragments at Junna's feet.

Dreamer Sage jerks to a stop; some of it dusts the pastels of her coat and skirt. Her light violet eyes look up at the top of the roof, and she takes a moment to really focus. That's when she gets a glimpse of Tycoon, then the Tengu-like Torment. Junna's eyes narrow, for a moment, before she draws back an arrow. She takes aim.

Then looses.

The arrow flies, exploding apart into vines that wrap at the Tengu's feet -- trying to entangle it, for just a moment, and buy Tycoon time. Sage does not call out to him, yet -- best to not distract him.

back alleys

[reluctants]

Prisma can't deny that she's scared as she's moving around the space. To be fair, she's usually already nervous enough in the Dream Sphere, but with how big of a deal everyone was making about this, she sure is a little extra nervous on top of that. Not to mention that some parts of this space feel so ominous.

Especially these back alleys. But Prisma is pretty sure she heard a sound down there just now. And while she can't be sure whether it's a fellow Dreamer or a Torment, she figures she should check it out, just in case. If it's a Torment, she can always run back to grab someone more capable to help her, right..? And if it is a Dreamer, she should probably make sure they're not alone.

So she runs down the alleyway, going a little faster once she hears that voice in the distance.

Something about it sounds familiar, but she can't place it just yet without a face to go with it.

"I-I'm here..!"

Sorry, Tycoon, it's coming from the opposite direction that you'd expect.. Not from within the bar, but from back behind you, further down the alley. If he turns to look outside the bar, he might just spot Prisma running in his direction.

"S.. Someone's here, right?"

Namikase shopping street

[coorow]

Like Tycoon, Dreamer Crow has taken to the higher route after running into too much trouble with the Torments in the storefronts. Partially, it’s because his curiosity kept leading him into the stores, but mostly because he can’t resist the allure of snacks - even in the Dream Sphere, expired garbage or no.

Making his way up to the rooftops was no issue, with Dream physics being what they are, even if his own wings are rather useless. Right on cue, as he gets up there, Tycoon is banished to the ground with a blow from the Tengu.

With a gasp, Crow peers over the rooftop and down below to the fallen Dreamer. More preoccupied with checking up on him than his vulnerability to the Tengu, he calls out:

“Are you okay?”

! investigation !

[liedol]

the temple

[ Ai had thought she'd be better prepared for this. These strange distortions in the Dream Sphere are a new and unknown quantity, but she'd been there for Mio's and she's been one of those fools chasing after Crimson so she's learned by now how it feels, the magical pressure. She hadn't thought how it would feel to be standing here among the blossoms, knowing this is Ango's dream. It must have been like this for Mio, too, but this feels so personal – it feels like she's snooping. The idea of having all these secrets and hidden feelings laid out for anyone to see...

A horrible chill suddenly grips her stomach. If this were ever to happen to her, if her heart was laid out for everyone to tramble through as they pleased... what would they see?

She swallows hard. And does what she does best: she smiles and turns to the other Dreamers still lingering around. ]

It can be a little hard to get used to, huh? It feels so different to any other kind of dream. If you're worried, we can stick together for a little bit.

residential area

[ Ai moves through the dream... not rushing, but not without urgency. There's still so little they know and Ango's been in this dream so long as it is, whatever effects it might have on him... there's no way to tell. Never mind what sort of complications could be caused by this happening to a Dreamer. Mio not being able to free herself is one thing, but for a Dreamer like Ango to be stuck here is...

Well. It's not the first time she's heard of someone choosing to stay. Not everybody has something to return to like she does.

That thought lingers at the edges of her mind as she hurries through the estate – and it stalls her feet when the projection clicks on and she realizes what she's seeing. The guilt curdles her stomach again but she can't make herself turn away. And as she watches it all play out, she realizes... she hadn't known any of this. Of course she hadn't – why would he ever have told her? They weren't friends. They were co-workers, friendly in passing but certainly never close enough to tell each other things. Not close enough to share pain.

She doesn't know why it leaves her so unsettled to realize that, at least not right away. But as the tape loops back to the start, Ai thinks she's found her answer.

Why should she be surprised? Isn't she exactly the same?

The creak of the door opening startles her a little and Ai turns. Upon seeing another Dreamer there, she tries to bring herself to smile... but she can't quite manage it. ]

Are you making progress? It sort of feels like we're fighting an uphill battle just to get close.

[ ... or maybe you'll catch her as she progresses out of the estate. She's dive bombed by the Torments, of course, but her response is eerily no-nonsense – she shatters one of them to dust with a well-timed blow of her Sandglass and sends the others fluttering back to regroup. For once, Dreamer Ai-Doll's face is deadly serious. ]

Let's just get this over with. I don't want to be here any more than you want me here so just let me through!

back alleys

[ Sweat like ice beads up and rolls down the back of her neck. Ai doesn't immediately realize what's wrong, even though her whole body is running through with chills. This place has picked and poked at her so badly already that it feels like a response entirely of her own making when her chest seizes and she has to stop for a second. It's so claustrophobic here, so close and tight in around her and the air reeks so badly of smoke...

She lets out a hiss and manages to pull it back in with a breath that fills her lungs with the scorched aftermath of fire. ]

Come on... pull yourself together...!

[ She manages, eventually. Barely. Enough to carry on investigating and find herself at the charred ruins of the bar. The blood makes her stop but it's the sunglasses that make her stoop to the ground so she can take a closer look. ]

So he was here... when? Did we already miss him...?

wildcard

[ she's all over the dungeon so hit me up with any of the prompts and i'll roll! ]

back alley

[thestarknows]

[Blood. And ashes.

Dreamer Sage stares, with wide eyes; the part of her that is a seventeen year-old who hasn't seen anything like this before is starting to tremble, already driven to fear from this. Her hand tightens around the bow in her hand, her violet eyes widening. She sucks a breath down, shakily.

And then she looks at Ai.]

Y-Yes... I think he was. We--we should look through this. It... it might have a clue.

the temple

[timelessmage]

[Frieren had stopped by the temple for two reasons. One, she wanted to get the lay of the land before proceeding toward the castle in the distance, which she had judged to be the most likely place to house the heart of the distortion; and two, there was no shortage of Dreamers gathered in the temple for her to Analyze. Just as Maki said, the Dreamer Union was taking this Disturbance situation very seriously. Gaining a better understanding of what her new allies were capable of was a worthwhile pursuit in and of itself, considering that they would be working together on this mission, and she got to satisfy her own curiosity in the process.

The amount of Dreamers present was a little dizzying, even. Torment readings were shallow and one-note; Nightmares' were similar, but with an aura of overwhelming power. Meanwhile, Dreamers' magical energy boasted incredible variety, a brilliant rainbow next to the muted colors of Figments and the monochrome shades of Torments and Nightmares. This would take some getting used to… especially since none of these people were concealing their magical signature like Flamme once did, the full extent of their abilities on display for Frieren to freely observe.

Even beyond that, the dreamscape itself felt off. Frustratingly, the range of her Analysis was too small for her to reach a comprehensive understanding of the dream's structure. Regardless, it was nothing like what she'd encountered in the past, and considering how long she'd been a Dreamer, this was an alarming realization.

Ai-Doll's sudden address makes Frieren blink, as if her words had dragged her out of a state of deep focus. Ai-Doll doesn't have any kind of detection ability like Frieren does, and even she can sense it? Intriguing.]

It does. You can tell?

the temple

[reluctants]

[ Of course the girl is worried. It doesn't even have to be said, right. Sure, Illya-- or rather, Prisma, now - is keeping pretty brave. She put on her brave face, even if the nerves still manage to sneak in at the edges, the girl just too young to be able to fully hide that sort of thing.

And on the one hand, it makes Ai's question a little nicely timed. She could just nod, give any affirmative answer, and she'd have Ai's help without having to ask for it, without having to ask and feel like a burden.

On the other hand.. even with Ai being her mentor, can she just cling to her forever? That wouldn't be right for a Dreamer to do, would it?

The girl bites her lower lip, clearly both thinking and nervous, but then doesn't answer with a nod, nor with a shake of her head. ]

I, um.. I could probably look around by myself..

[ She doesn't sound so sure about that. ]

[thezekeinator]

Tengu: Punishment From the Heavens

[From a collapsed storefront, in the middle of a pile of debris slowly settling from its moments-ago collapse, a hand punches through into the open air again. The rest of Dreamer Chaosbringer follows it, wood and detritus tumbling down from his shoulders and dust pouring off in clouds as he straightens himself up.]

Oh, I'm not about to let that one slide, chum.

[Electricity crackles as he draws his sword, aiming down the blade at the tengu Torment standing on top of a nearby roof.]

Alley Oops

[By this point, Chaosbringer -- despite his very best efforts -- feels pretty annoyed. Once AGAIN, it's like his emphasis on mental health and well-being only ever falls on deaf ears, and look where it's gotten them once more. Though he's bound and determined not to take his annoyance out on Ango, that doesn't spare the Disturbance from his irritation, as he kicks over one of the faux-buildings.]

Come on! If your brain is manifesting stuff like this, it's obvious you should have gotten it straight a while back.

[Even Dreamer Chaosbringer has his limits. Mio was bad enough. But now one of their own?]

Hit the Books

[In the precarious piles of putative publications stands on Dreamer Chaosbringer, as stock-still as possible. A faint quiver in one leg translates into an ominous shift of the numerous books he's standing next to -- because closer inspection reveals that he isn't just standing there, but actually supporting the entire weight of the pile as it threatens to tumble over and engulf him.]

Uh, hey.

Alley Oops

[timelessmage]

[With so many Dreamers around, Frieren has no intention of getting delayed dealing with the small fry; her combat experience would be put to better use heading straight to the core of the Disturbance.

She's making her way to the castle when the sound of the falling "building" reaches her, her pointy ears twitching ever so slightly in response. …Well, she can't just ignore this, can she?

Unfortunately, her Analysis's range can't quite reach the location of the noise, so she'll have to approach to see what's going on. She summons her Sandglass and leaps over into the back alleys, just in time to catch Chaosbringer's outburst.

…Ah, so that's what happened. She thought a Dreamer and a Torment might have gotten into a scrap. She sounds utterly unimpressed as she asks Chaosbringer:]

Was that truly necessary?

Hit the Books

[i_peace]

[After his earlier foray on the roofs of the Namikase, Tycoon's trying (key word, that one) to stay on the ground to avoid any more Tengu shaped distractions. Which is to say...

He's currently at the pile that serves as Chaosbringer's platform with trepidation]

Uhm... Hello...

Where do I start... [How did Chaosbringer find himself in this situation? Why is this his foothold of choice?] Do you need a hand?

[man needs a ladder, but Tycoon doesn't bother to bring that up, looking around to see if there's something he can do to help the other man down without burying everyone in the process]

hit the books aka I'M SORRY I COULDN'T RESIST....

[hanamane]

[Being able to float certainly made the piles of garbage underfoot less of a problem for Hanako, but with the dense concentration of books all around, navigating the room was still a delicate balancing act. One misplaced move could accidentally bury him amidst all this junk, and considering how a lot of these piles were bigger than he was...

A voice catches his ear as he rounds one of the stacks, and he turns to find... oh. THIS guy. His self-preservation said he should probably just leave Chaosbringer to his own devices and ignore him-- after all, the man was practically indestructible at this point-- but... something gets him to pause and reconsider. Was it fulfilling his Dreamer duties and helping a comrade in arms? A sense of compassion...?

...nope.

Wordlessly, he hovers on over to Zeke, looking him up, down, and then finally in the eye--

-- and then immediately grabbing him by the face.]

Alley Oops

[coorow]

[These back alleys definitely feel like they're somewhere Crow shouldn't be - not in the waking world, at least - so naturally he's drawn to going down them. He's at risk of getting lost until he hears the commotion, and quickly pursues the sounds of a Dreamer.

When he gets there, and Chaosbringer is calling out, he tilts his head with some confusion, but mostly curiosity.]

Who are you talking to?

tengu

[reluctants]

[ Prisma was already startled enough to suddenly see one of the stores suddenly collapsing like that - though thankfully quick reflexes kept her from getting caught up in it, managing to jump back far away enough at the last moment before she'd get caught up in the debris too.

But the next events only startle her more. Finding out that it wasn't just some random collapse, but that there's someone in the debris - that's also startling, and until she realises it's Chaosbringer (look, she's seen him take blows to the chest before, that's not nothing!) she definitely worries about that person's safety and well being...

But then she actually spots the Torment when she follows the direction of his sword, and that's the final straw.

The final straw that makes her full on nervous, that is. But even though she knows Chaosbringer is strong, she can't let him face this alone. What if that Torment is strong too? W-What if there's something - anything - she can do? ]

O-Oh..! [ She finally squeaks out loud from somewhere behind Chaosbringer. ] Please.. Please be careful..!

Colette Brunel l Tales of Symphonia l Dreamer Angel

[angelolatry]

Namikase:

I wasn't quite expecting this sort of thing at the stalls...? A Rice cooker?

[Some of these things she was spotting just seemed so random? Colette isn't sure what to make of it. She just tilts her head, wondering about the old clothes and other items about. Colette supposes these were important to have them in this Dream Sphere space somehow. So she leaves them be, if puzzled about them in this particular space when this might not usually be what one would expect to find in this sort of area outside the shrine itself.

When she notes the Torment, she will make sue of her wings and shift in jumping up out of the way while she figures how to deal with this, before she realizes she isn't alone up there either. The Tengu Torment there too. Colette stumbles in not wanting to be hit by the staff.]

Ah? That was close....!

Residential:

A movie...? Oh no.

[Colette's expression falls when she watches things go from that more hopeful beginning to seeing how things ended up. The funerals and fights. She feels really badly about this, upset over how things went over time from how happy it had been initially.

But other than the films there doesn't seem to be too much more of note, barring the blood splatter as she leaves. Which has her confused but more alert when the bird-like Torments swoop down. She tries to swing her arm, the one not instinctively protecting her face, to try shoo them away but there's quite a few of them.]

S-stop it!

[She pulls out her chakrams, swinging one of them to try disperse the birds to get in a better position to defend herself.]

Dungeon:

There has to be some way up?

[Colette does not immediately see it but she assumes there has to be something. Some way around. Maybe some sort of passage, hidden or some door she just hadn't immediately noticed yet? But once she does figure it out with the staircase, she will definitely be clumsy and nervous about getting up it. Given her being such a klutz. But she is still determined. Bracing herself as she starts climbing up.]

Okay. Okay. Just one step at a time. One step at a time.....

residential

[reluctants]

[ Though Prisma isn't exiting the building, she does hear that call of 's-stop it' as she's moving through the streets, and the girl quickly moves faster as she tries to follow the sound to its source, wondering if there's someone in trouble.

Seems like she was right about that, since she arrives only to find her fellow Dreamer looking like she's having a hard time dealing with all of those birds.. So Prisma raises her staff, trying to remember everything she learned about making sure to aim well. The star on her wand glows, and a moment later balls of energy fly out of it, hurling itself at the birds.

It doesn't get rid of all those Torments, but it at least causes a few of them to disappear, leaving the other girl to deal with less of them. ]

D-Don't worry! [ She calls out. ] I.. I'm here to help!

[ Sure, she doesn't know how much she can do to help, since Prisma isn't that confident in her abilities, but at least she's managing to take some of the burden off the other..! It's got to count for something! ]