yumemigaoka | December Catch All

[ Despite being a Dreamer for a while now, Ageha had put off doing anything more than a simple registration after she had initially awoken. She was a whole city away for most of that time after all, and they didn't have a branch there. Now that she's back to just commuting back and forth from her mom's though... well it was time to finally check the branch out on one of her days off. ]

Oooooh-! They even have nap rooms! How smart.

[ Don't mind her if she just peaks in all the non-restricted spaces.

When it's not exploring though it's meeting new people. Don't be surprised if she sees you, clocks you as a fellow Dreamer and just decides to strike up a conversation. ]

Hi there! I'm Hijiri Ageha, I'm 19, my blood type is B and I became a Dreamer just this summer! My birthstone is peridot, my lucky colour is pink, and I was previously obsessed with English tea lattes with white chocolate and extra whip, but lately I've been really into these new strawberry milk tea lattes - always with two pumps chocolate syrup!

[ Every introduction is punctuated with a wink and a downwards peace sign facing the other person. ]

Now it's your turn!

Edited 2023-12-11 21:06 (UTC)

[ Ageha had of course properly prepared for winter - or at least prepared her car. She'd been driving for a year now and commuting regularly, so as soon as the ice and snow started the snow tires were out and Piyo-chan was ready to face the road.

What she had not been prepared for was the onslaught that came in the middle of the month and trapped poor Piyo-chan in her mom's driveway. ]

Ehhhhh?!

[ Well. At least it was the weekend so she didn't have to worry about missing school or work - but she did have to shovel her car out all by herself, especially with her mom not here. ]

Don't worry Piyo-chan, I'll get you out--!

[ Once she's finally done (with or without the help of passerbys)... she's in serious need of some warming up, and there's no way she's driving anywhere with the roads like this, so walking she goes. But of course a lot of her usual haunts are dealing with the snow as well, a lot of them just outright closed for the day as a result. ]

Excuse me-- [ yes you, fellow player ] I'm looking for a place to warm up. Have you seen any cafes still open?

[Cairo's pretty good at Japanese. Her parents saw it as an important language for business, even before she became a Dreamer, but most of her friends know to talk a bit more slowly to her, just to make sure she understands what's being said.

Ageha running up to her and rattling off an entire self-introduction is a lot of information to process in a very short amount of time. So when Ageha asks her for a self introduction, Cairo's still trying to process the 14 different things she assumes Ageha will expect her to know the next time they meet. As usual when put on the spot, Cairo forgets every single fact about herself and only manages:]

I'm Cairo. Like the city in Egypt. [A beat.] I just moved here from America?

[You'd think she'd be better at this, with the amount of self introductions she's done in the past few weeks.]

Eh?

[ What is this, someone actually getting the drop on Hibiki and introducing themselves with a surprise infodump before she can do the same? That's a nice change of pace! Still, not one to fall short... ]

A-Ah, right! My name is Tachibana Hibiki, age 18! My birthday is September 13th, and my blood type is O! Last time I had my height measured, it was 157 centimeters! My weight is... uh, I'll tell you if we become better friends! My hobby is helping people and my favorite things are food and more food! I became a Dreamer when I was 15, and I've never had a boyfriend because I have a girlfriend instead!!

[ Annnnnd deep breath, she went on for a while there! ]

Mrrrrn.

[A mummy-style sleeping bag rolls over in one of said break rooms. Maki blinks, groans, and frees herself, wiggling out of the bag.]

Somebody's pretty happy. You new here?

[ Ageha catches her during one of her few breaks from the Sisyphean task of sending nonstop emails, refilling yet another round of coffee to keep her brain at least a little energized. It takes her a second to properly process such an enthusiastic introduction — but once she does, it's with a delighted laugh. ]

Oh wow, I haven't heard a self-intro like that in a long while! Let's see if I still remember mine...

[ She flips her hair over her shoulder in a way that looks totally casual but is just pretty enough to probably be rehearsed and... hold on, is she... sparkling...?! ]

I'm Dreamer Ai-Doll, the Dreamer Union's very own idol! [ wink! ] My blood type is AB, my birth stone is topaz and my lucky colours are baby pink and blue! You can sleep a little more soundly because I'll be keeping your dreams safe!

[ ... she hasn't whipped that line out since she was like... Ageha's age so it feels a little cringy to say but you wouldn't know it to look at the smile she's wearing. ]

[the snow has also snowed Keiwa out of a lot of his usual volunteer opportunities, either because they're normally outdoors or because things have been cancelled for the safety of the volunteers. Oddly thoughtful of them, but it leaves Keiwa with the day off and not much to do...

So he's settled for going grocery shopping instead (and he should probably look into getting presents for his sister, or at least as thanks to the Yugis for hiring him). Bundled up as best as he can be, his nose is buried under a somewhat thin muffler and his hands tucked into his coat pockets to try and keep warm when he hears someone call out. Keiwa jumps a little before turning to look at the girl like the startled tanuki that he is]

Huh? [eloquent-] Oh. Um... There's a small one up ahead that's still opened, I think. Otherwise, we just spent the last couple of days clearing out Moon Bunny Market, so Camellia and a some of the other stores should still be opened.

[he started out speaking clearly, but trails off mumbling a little at the end as if he's unsure of his own suggestion. Truth was, he's wracking his brain for the names of these cafes and coming up a blank. You could probably see the gears frantically turning in his head...]

[ Does Ageha realize she probably went a little too hard, a little too fast? Maybe. She is slowing down a little, now that the introductions are out of the way, but there's still a high amount of energy coming off of her. ]

Whoa! All the way from America? Your Japanese is so good already!

[ She nods along happily, excited to get back such a response. ]

Mmm, mm, good job! Nice to meet you, Hibiki-chan!

[ Yeah we are. Already at -chan status. It's fine. She's just Like This. ]

Since you were 15 though, huh? Man, I knew most Dreamers started as teenagers but it's still a little wild to see - I guess that might actually make you my senpai?

Ah-- kinda sorta?

[ She raises a hand in apology, voice lowering ]

Sorry, I didn't mean to wake anyone up...

[ She takes it in stride! Lord knows Hibiki hands out the -chan status quickly as well. Though with that said, Ageha feels like a -san to Hibiki, so she gets the -san status. ~~What? Her age? You mean that's supposed to be a factor??~~ ]

Mm, nice to meet you, Ageha-san!

[ ...well, at least they're on the same wavelength. Hibiki laughs and rubs the back of her head, but she seems a little proud of her experience when Ageha points it out. ]

Ahaha! It might be a little weird since you're older than me, but I guess so! Oh, congrats on becoming a Dreamer! Though I guess you've already been one for a few months now!

[ That last line makes Ageha pause for a moment. It sounds... a little familiar? But she can't place it right now, so she puts it aside.

Right now though she's just in awe. She had come up to this girl intending to tell her after the introductions were over how much she looked like Ai-Doll and it... does not occur to her right away that? Yes? This is in fact the same Ai? And not just someone who looks like her and is monopolizing that to have a little fun with her right now? ]

Woooow! You sounded just like Ai-Doll-chan for real... I guess people must tell you you look like her a lot...

[ And then it just

Slowly starts to sink in ]

Unless...

[ That sparkle... that aura... ]

W-W-Wait, you're actually Ai-Doll-chan!? The real deal!?!?

[ Her face lights up ]

Ah! Right! Moon Bunny Market does have a bunch! I didn't even think of that!

[ But the way he trails off does give her pause. ]

Thanks a bunch - sorry, I wasn't bothering you or anything, was I?

Thank you! My teammates and I practiced a lot to communicate with other Dreamers in the Dream Sphere.

[Unsurprisingly, after all, most Dreamers speak Japanese even though there's Dreamers all over the world. That's just what happens when the hub for Dreamer Culture is in Japan. And, of course, Riley always wants to be perfect in the way she does things. Of course they need to speak Japanese.

Riley said it was for if they were ever suddenly transferred to Yumemigaoka, which Cairo had brushed off at the time. That was three years ago, though, and a lot has happened since then.]

Ah- No, sorry, you're fine. I just- [he shakes his head, gently waving his hands in front of him as if to emphasize the 'no' gesture]

I just moved here a couple of months ago, so I'm still trying to remember names of places around here. [he laughs a little] Usually, Nee-chan would be telling me about any place near by she was interested in going to, and I'd learn that way but...

[and he puts his hands back in his pockets, a little awkward]

It's a pretty big move. From there to here.

[Lisa is parked in the lounge, knitting a scarf with a fun yarn she found that's a gradient of firey colors with just about a third of her attention, when a tsunami of personality comes upon her. She's not put out by the girl - Ageha - approaching her, it's just kind of surprising? She thought she was blending in at least kinda well. Evidently not, though, and while it takes a second for her to recover from her surprise, she grins at the enthusiasm, knitting slowing as her brain re-engages.]

Hey! I'm Imai Lisa. Um, I'm 18, and I've been a Dreamer just a tiny bit longer than you, since last winter! My birthstone is also peridot, but rhodonite is my Dreamer name so that one kinda took over, aaaand my new hobby is growing my own herbs for my cooking! [A breath, and a giggle.] Oh man, I had to wing that at the end, I haven't done that in a long time, and I definitely forgot some bits. That was... nice. [Refreshing, even, not that she's going to say that to someone she's just met. Lisa, for her part, probably looks just a touch eccentric at the moment, especially with the streak of... what's probably flour in her otherwise-well-kept hair? And a bandage or two on her fingers. But she doesn't seem terribly put out about it, so it's. Probably fine?]

Mrr. [Maki rubs her eyes and shrugs. She pulls herself up and starts rolling up the bag.] 's fine, lunch should be over any minute now anyway. What do you mean by "kinda sorta?" Transfer in from another branch?

Heehee, that's right! Did I catch you by surprise?

[ Beeaaaaaaaaam. She's nice enough not to laugh right in Ageha's face but something about that full force smile right up close and in person is almost as bad... ]

I'll be honest, you did too! It's been a while since I had to remember that self intro, I was so sure I'd trip up halfway through it!

...why?

[ That's way to much to ask out of a total stranger. Why do you want to know everything about her? This isn't the first day of class - which Chris does the absolute barest minimum introduction for anyway - and it's pretty obvious that she's bristling at the overly friendly behavior no matter how obviously legitimate it is. ]

Well, all that practice really paid off!

[ She is just giving the biggest, warmest smile right now. ]

So you have a whole team? Did they also move with you?

Haha, it's been a little bit, yeah. I think it happened... back in June? When I started my practicum.

I was staying with a friend in Sorashido at the time though so everything around the Dreamer Union is completely new to me!

Ah well-- not really. I was staying in Sorashido for a few months back when I had my awakening. I registered here but there isn't a branch in Sorashido so I didn't get to make the most of it until now.

So I'm not new to a being a Dreamer, but I am new to the Union in that sense!

[ .. O-Oh, gosh.

There's a lot going on here all of a sudden. Despite the fact that Illya wasn't doing anything she ought to feel guilty about, she still looks a little bit like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar - or perhaps a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming truck - as Ageha gives her this whirlwind of an introduction.

The girl's eyes remain wide with surprise, even when the other girl finished her introduction. After all, she is turning it on Illya right away, making the younger girl stammer as her face grows increasingly red. ]

I-I, um.. U-Um! I'm Illya, and I--

[ ...!!!

She definitely looks like she's having a moment of internal panic over here. ]

W-What was the rest again?! [ She forgot already! She's panicking!! ]

[Cairo's expression wavers for a moment. Her fault. Of course someone would bring up the team if she brought them up first.

Then it's gone.]

Mhmm. If you see a girl with red hair and a huge orange bow, that's one of my teammates. She's the one who comes to the DU the most.

[Believable?? She hopes so.]

You did a great job though! And hey it's great to meet another August girlie!

[ She notes the streak of flour in her hair and the finger bandages, but doesn't say anything about it - at least not now. She's beaming pretty brightly. ]

Growing your own herbs though? That sounds so cool - and pretty smart! I bet they're super tasty when you grow them yourself.

[ She looks down at what she's knitting ]

Is knitting another new hobby? [ At least she's guessing the bandages might from knitting ]

Why not?

[ If she noticed the bristling or feels affected by it in any way it's honestly hard to tell. She's just still beaming with positive energy, though said energy seems toned down a notch when she speaks again. ]

If you're a Dreamer, then it seems pretty likely we'll end up working together at some point, so at least knowing each other's names is a good idea! You don't have to say as much as I did, I just find this way works best for me when breaking the ice.

Ah, well! Welcome to the DU! Right, as your senpai, feel free to ask me for help anytime!

[ Hibiki, the most reliable senpai! Definitely! ]

Ah, that goes for in the Dreamsphere too! I just joined a unit, but that doesn't mean I won't help out others if they ask!

[ Oh nooooo there's something about this girl that is just giving her MAJOR Mashiro vibes. Which of course causes her to soften and go into big sister mode. ]

It's all right! You don't have to say as much as I did or even the same things.

Just take it slow, and say whatever comes to mind that you'd like a potential new friend to know about you. You're doing great already!

Ahhh, I see. I totally know how that feels - big moves are pretty tough.

[ She might know a little too well, honestly. ]

Say... in that case, why don't you join me for a while? Maybe I can help out in some way.

[ A blinding font of positive energy. A girl - a smidge older than Chris? It's hard to tell - who has nothing but joy but share with the world.

Chris's cynicism has been chipped at slightly, but strangers are tough. On the other hand, Ageha is trying really hard to not be a stranger, and she has a point about names. ]

Chris Caitlin. Sixteen.

[ Obviously not Japanese, although that hasn't been a problem here. ]

I like konbini chicken.

I wouldn't want to impose... [he's not being coy about this either, he genuinely sounds like he feels bad that she's offering to help him after asking him for help.

But his polite refusal would probably work better if he didn't abruptly turn to sneeze. Keiwa's not nearly as bundled up as he probably should be, which is as good an indication as any that he wasn't fully prepared for how cold it got up here]

A-actually, something hot to drink might be a good idea.

All the way out there, huh? I get you. Least you're not as far out as Manoyama. I doubt half the office has even heard of it.

Ahaha, thanks... [She feels a little awkward to get the praise, but she's certainly not going to refuse it! Anything to salve her ego.] And yeah! Nice to meet you, Ageha-san. Maybe we can celebrate together this summer. [The other girl seems pretty excited, at least, so Lisa's happy.]

I'm still getting used to taking care of plants - I had to take my poor rosemary over to Camellia for a check-up. But it definitely tastes better when you can just grab a sprig when you want it. [She smiles; her hands haven't really stopped moving, but as Ageha asks, she pauses.] Ah, no, I've been working on this stuff for a little while. I like making stuff. Food, clothing... I've been making cookies for the season. I bet they'd go well with your lattes, aside from being a lot of sugar all at once.

Something.. I'd like a potential new friend to know about me..?

[ It's a helpful suggestion in general.

However, it doesn't seem like a very helpful suggestion for Illya in particular, since the girl just goes completely quiet after she echoes the words right back at the other. Like even that suggestion isn't really making her sure about what she'd like to say here.

Her eyebrows knit together into a frown, and then she seems to realise she's been quiet for a little bit too long, forcing her to speak up this time. ]

I.. Um, I'm thirteen..?

[ Clearly a very fun fact about yourself to share, right. ]

Oh!

[Bruno startles a little upon being addressed, but then seems to take the question extremely seriously.]

Uhhhhh...there's a coffeeshop down the road that's still open. You gotta buy something to hang around in there, but one drink will get you like, a few hours before they start looking at you funny?

Haha, it wasn't so bad. It's a nice drive to and from at least.

My name's Ageha by the way. Hijiri Ageha.

A l-little, y-yeah...!

Omigosh, I-I'm really sorry about approaching you out of the blue like that, I really didn't realize...! My sister um, d-designed an out for you once...?

[ For once Ageha's the one totally thrown off her pace ]

[ She dismisses the apology with a cheery wave of her hand. ]

No, no, we're co-workers now, right? So long as I'm at work, of course you can come over and chat with me. We're all on the same team so I think it's best when everybody gets along.

[ She makes it sound so easy but... she's still sparkling... does she even know how to turn it off... ]

So, so? Which one did she design? Have you got a picture?

[ Oh no... now she's really getting the Mashiro vibes. ]

13, huh? Wow, that's so young for a Dreamer. Did you awaken recently?

[ She figures leading the conversation for a little while with easy to answer questions might help ]

[ For all her skill in handling small children, Ageha can be a little oblivious when it comes to older kids and people closer to her own age, so she misses the brief waver. That or she did notice but thought nothing of it, at least not right now. ]

Red hair and an orange bow... got it! I'll keep an eye out for her.

If you guys need any help with anything, just let me know okay? I know how stressful moving can be and I imagine it must be even more so to move to a different country. I may not have any experience around the DU but I've lived in Yumemigaoka for several years now, so I've got a pretty good handle on the city at least.

Sure thing - thanks a ton, Hibiki-senpai~

[ She gives a little wink before looking a little wistful ]

A unit, huh... man that really shows how much I still have to learn, I didn't even realize those were a thing.

Midorikawa Maki. IT on paper, IT and general errands in practice. So how are you getting used to the place?

[ The girl nods - relatively quickly, too. It really does seem like it's easier for her to talk when she doesn't have to think too hard herself on what to say. ]

It's been.. um, a few months now..? [ That still feels like 'recently' to her, especially when some people have been at this for years and years.. ] So I guess I'm still one of the newer Dreamers around.. B-But I've been trying my best at it ever since I found out!

[ It had been tempting to just run away, especially with how scary it all was, but Illya knows she'd feel too guilty if she didn't do her part. ]

What about you? You said.. [ H-Hold on, she's trying to remember-- ] Just this summer, right? That's around the same time as me..

December Catch All

Early December - Dreamer Union

Mid-December, Yumemigaoka (around Akabeni)

no subject

no subject

exploring

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/?

2/3

done

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

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject