yumemigaoka | August catch-all ♫

[It's been an exciting month. She's putting her life back on track, she made some time to take a break with her friends, and she got herself drowned in a ruined city by a huge Nightmare. She's been complaining about tentacles and water for the last couple weeks, but she feels... better, now. She'll push herself to keep it from happening again in future, but for now, she's content. And today, in particular, she doesn't want to let anything else get her down. Today, she's going to go out and have a good day. In a light, airy, vibrant red top, a dark, sensible skirt, and with her bass guitar bag slung over her shoulder, Lisa ventures into the city.

She hits most of her usual haunts: she goes shopping for a little bit, visits Camellia for a quick cup of (sweet and cold) coffee despite it being a bit out of her way, and then swings back to Koubai. But rather than going home, she heads to the Dreamer Union. And once she's there, she heads for a practice room. Taking her bass from its bag, after she spends a moment tuning it, she warms up, the rich sound a little muted from not being amplified. But she doesn't need that. Not just now. Instead, slowly, she starts to play a piece from memory that she doesn't really need accompaniment for. She's still a little rusty on this side - more than a few times, something sounds off, and she has to stop and reestablish herself, find her chord progression again. But she gets more sure as she plays, not willing to give up, and she scales her speed back up toward what it should be.

And eventually, after fifteen or twenty minutes, she manages to get to a high enough percentage of live speed that, despite her insistence that she isn't a vocalist, she softly starts to sing. She's not used to it as Lisa rather than Rhodonite. Music feels like... something someone else does, that happens to be in her dreams at night, that feels like her but at the same time feels so far away. And yet, in this moment, she doesn't care. She can reach for that feeling, borrow it from Rhodonite for just a little while, and maybe make it her own again. She feels like someone's hand is on her shoulder, silently giving her support. She... she can do this. She can do this-!]

If everything could ever feel this real forever... if anything could ever be this good again- ♪

((It's Lisa's birthday! If you want to find her anywhere in particular in Yumemigaoka, go for it, but she'll end up in the Union's practice room by the late afternoon.))

[Junna saw Lisa earlier in the day, of course. It's her birthday, so she made sure to go with her for part of her excursion into the city. But she had to part ways at a point. There's some stuff back at Union headquarters she has to do.

Boring paperwork. It waits for no woman.

But later in the day, she's wrapped up. She starts on her way out, which leads her by the practice rooms. And she hears Lisa's guitar, first. She walks to the door, peeking in. And blinks with surprise, then Junna smiles.

She leans against the doorframe and listens. She doesn't want to interrupt more than she might have already. Junna watches... and it's hard to look away.

This is something she wants to remember for a long time to come, she thinks.]

[She's not so absorbed that she can't notice the steps at the door - she barged in(?) on Junna this way some months ago, after all - but she doesn't worry about it for the moment, not bothering to look. Instead she focuses on coming out of the last bridge; it always gives (gave?) her problems when she's trying to subtract instruments to play it alone, and so when it actually sounds good she just runs with it. Her focus is intense enough she doesn't sing the last chorus as she hits it, and as the last note drifts through the room, her eyes are closed as she lets out a long breath.]

Hey. Sorry, I'm not being too loud, am I?

[...she glances over to the door finally, ironic smile on her lips. Most of her other friends would have made a different amount of noise - Amane and Illya have lighter steps and wouldn't have been as still, Hibiki would have been significantly less quiet even if she were trying to, Keiwa has heavier footfalls - so she's pretty sure she's right even before she looks, but seeing Junna seems to peel a layer of tension away.]

[Junna doesn't interrupt. She knows what practicing is like. You only interrupt someone -- more than she did by just stepping inside -- unless you have to. Besides, she always wanted to hear Lisa play... and it's a chance to do it. There is that little worried voice, asking if this is okay. If she's... somehow intruding, in an unwelcome way.

She decides to silence that thought. No--no, don't fixate on that. Besides, the way she sees Lisa smile...

Her stomach has butterflies. It already did before. It's a little unfair, now, how Lisa can just do that to her. But the best kind of unfair, too. She smiles back -- then she shakes her head.]

Not at all. It was... you're really good, Lisa. [She walks in, finally.] I'm glad I go to hear you play.

I... was arguably better, a few years ago. Before I quit the first time. I'm making up for lost time, now. [For a moment, her expression is hard, a little haunted. But she takes a breath, and shores her heart up. She can do this.] But I'm glad you got to hear me, too.

[Lisa's happy to have Junna here. Junna also seems to be happy to be here, which is a salve for that brief moment of discomfort. Her hand comes to the neck of her bass to still the strings.]

Even if I'm kinda glad it was you and not someone that would ask more questions.

Mm. It's okay. You're doing it now, I think that's what's important. [She sees that haunted look... and she knows enough to know that Lisa was hurt. She walks over to her, closer, while looking at her and the guitar.

She smiles a bit more.] I know how that is. Someone caught me singing once, and... I was a little mortified. A lot mortified.

[She looks down at the guitar for a moment.] Is this yours? Or, ah, a loaned one?

[She's quiet a moment. Is that what's important? Is she... ready to leave the past behind? Can she move on? Is Lisa allowed to move on?

......

A small but noticeable weight seems to lift from her shoulders, and her smile turns brighter.]

I think so too. And I definitely know how getting caught when you're not expected to be heard feels. Still... [Her entire aura seems to shift to something more confident.] I think I wanted to be heard, today. Not enough to play outside, but enough not to stay home.

[At the question, she nods, holding out her instrument with some care.] This is my bass. Mother and Father bought it for me a few birthdays ago as a... peace offering, I think. But it's still mine, and it means a lot to me. My Sandglass knows that - colors aside, it's still an ESP over there.

[Junna smiles a little bit, when she sees the weight lift -- metaphorically, but noticeably -- from Lisa. She looks down at her, and she's quiet for a moment. She murmurs, then, because she shouldn't get too distracted.]

Then... I'm glad I happened by. And I did like getting to hear you play. [She'd always wanted to, after all.

Then she looks down at her bass. If her sandglass resembles it -- well, that tells Junna a lot. This bass is important to her. Plus, it's... it's important to her, and it's tied to her parents, too.]

That's amazing. It's... [She gets a bit breathless -- then laughs.] It's really cool. I bet I sound like a nerd, though.

I'm glad it was you that found me. [Her voice turns... quieter, more tender, and while her bearing is still confident there's something more delicate showing through.] I know I said I wanted to be out in public, but... sometimes you've got to put on a show for the fans, right?

[She doesn't elaborate, but she's not sure she wants to anyway. She can't quite put her feelings into words. Lisa just knows that she really needed Junna to hear this, even if she would have been totally fine if nobody showed up. That said... she takes a breath, and lets herself calm down a bit.]

If you're a nerd, what does that make me holding it? It's probably the single thing I'm most familiar with in my life, including my phone and my Sandglass. And... there's a lot of memories tied up in it. Most of them are even good memories.

[Looking down at it as she cradles it to her body again, her expression is... complex. Proud, sure, and affectionate. But a little melancholy too. There's a metaphor in here somewhere, she's sure.]

[Junna looks down at her. Her expression softens, too, when she sees that tender look on Lisa's face. It's so... delicate. Her hand trembles a little at her side, but she smiles.]

...I think I get what you mean. Sometimes you want the right people to see you. [And maybe that means Junna's one of the right people. She exhales softly, but then there's a little hitched laugh. It's a good laugh; she seems a little happy that they're both nerds about this.]

No, I think... [She looks over the bass for a moment. The way Lisa holds it, the way she talks about it -- about how familiar it is, how there's a lot of good memories tied up in it, and some bad too. She can't know all of them. Even if they've talked about it some, even if they're talking about it now. There's too much for Junna to know all of them.

Her voice is still quiet.] ...I think it suits you, Lisa.

[She keeps looking at her, but back to the way Lisa looks quieter. More tender and delicate. Junna hesitates for a second; this is all still new to her. And her hand trembles a bit as she raises it, her fingers hesitating. But then, gently, she puts a hand on Lisa's cheek.

Hers are red, now. In her head, there's a constant refrain: Oh god please let that be the right thing to do. Somehow, though, she keeps her voice quiet but steady.] Perfectly.

[Something about that comment catches Lisa's attention, and she looks back up to Junna. She did want Junna to hear her. That much is plain to read from her own feelings, but the reason feels... a little more nuanced? Junna's her friend and they're aspiring to music and performance - to return to those things - but it's more personal than that. Something in her chest is warm, thinking on it, and even if she doesn't go back to playing she's just happy. What is this feeling?

Junna, at least, seems to think that this is right. That Lisa's bass fits her. Which is itself reassuring - Rhodonite is one thing, but she hasn't really felt like she fit in for a while. So... she can relax somewhat. She is relaxing, both from Junna's presence and from feeling more at peace. She opens her mouth to say something, to thank her precious friend for hearing her out-

-and then she feels that soft, hesitant, uncertain touch on her cheek, and the words slip off her tongue. It's surprising; yes, she's aware Junna can be a lot more forward than her after the last few months, but actually seeing it - feeling it - is still novel, and she hasn't quite gotten used to it yet. But that extra reassurance - the reminder that someone's there for her - is more helpful, more grounding, than she knows how to express. So she doesn't try. After the initial surprise at feeling that hand there, eyes wide and looking straight to Junna's, she calms down, leaning slightly into it, a gentle smile on her lips.]

I'm happy to hear you say that.

[...kami, she's in deep. She blushes too, one hand coming up off her bass to rest on Junna's. Today is... turning out to be a good day.]

I... needed to hear that. I needed to hear you say it.

[Junna's heart is hammering in her chest right until Lisa leans into her hand. At that, she breaks into a smile all over again. Even if she worked up the courage to do something like that... it's a relief -- and a thrill -- to see it was the right thing to do. And when Lisa puts her hand over Junna's, well, that gets a surprised but happy noise out of her.

She looks down at Lisa, and it's impossible to ignore that warm, happy feeling in her chest. It's not lost on Junna that she's got it bad, now. She smiles down at her, and it takes her a second to process what Lisa said. And to find words, in turn.]

I... [She brushes her thumb over Lisa's cheek.] ...I'm glad I was here to say it. And that I'm the one you needed to hear say it. Really glad for that.

[She decides she wants to be at eye level with Lisa, so she ends up kneeling down -- carefully shuffling to not mess her skirt up -- so she's in front of her. But her hand stays on Lisa's cheek, and she's still amazed she has the courage to do and say something like this.

Her voice is quieter for this last part, though, and vulnerability slips through.] And I'm so glad I found you.

[Her eyes are shiny as Junna agrees; she has a hard time expressing exactly how much she needed that affirmation from someone she trusts to tell her things as they are. Junna... probably doesn't exactly understand that yet, which is entirely Lisa's own fault for continuing to patch over her rough spots instead of talking about them, but she's also a perceptive girl, so it's entirely possible she's recognized that without having to be told. But even besides that... she's just happy to have someone that cares enough to literally reach out to her.

Even if Junna is distractingly pretty as she kneels and looks her in the eyes. Yet... she can feel that little bit of something, and it holds her attention despite her feeling like she's on top of the world. It's enough to bring her back down to where her girlfriend is and root her to the present, and her smile is... calmer, even if there's still a strong undertone of affection as she lets her own voice slip into a near-whisper.]

I'm glad you found me, too.

[...she feels restless. Junna being this close is not entirely good for her self-control.]

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thestarknows - 2024-09-23 14:39 (UTC) - Expand

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traceofeffort - 2024-10-07 00:00 (UTC) - Expand

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thestarknows - 2024-10-07 19:17 (UTC) - Expand

[if Lisa has been griping about tentacles and water for a couple of weeks, Nikki's complaints (and lack of attendance to the water park) speaks to the volumes of salt he's feeling over the entire debacle. It would have been fine! It should have been! ... If it had been anything other than water, maybe. But if he keeps this up, he'll have over seasoned every meal he's been delivering lately!

Lisa probably spots Nikki in weird spots while she's wandering around town. Walking confidently along thin railings, climbing up pillars, occasionally even lounging across weird, hard to reach locations. Sometimes, she'll even spot him with those food delivery bags across his back. Nikki's nice enough to give her a cheerful wave before disappearing somewhere... And it seems to be for work that sees him at the DU, dropping off someone's dinner order when he catches wind of music and makes his way over to investigate.

Nikki gives Lisa a grin and cheerful applause once she either a) notices him or b) stops. Whichever happens frist]

[He's like a cat, in a way. Goes where he pleases, ends up in places that make no sense with no apparent concern. But she's not going to question Nikki on it. Her hobbies are a little more cerebral, his are are more physical. Although she might need to try and learn from him - it'd be kinda fun to run around the city. Or the Slumbering City, for that matter.

But that's a matter for another time. Right now, she's in the zone, and happy she's playing well. And... maybe a little hungry? No, wait, that's something else. Why does she smell salt? And maybe potatoes.....? She looks up, but doesn't stop playing quite yet.]

And I wonder... ♪

[She doesn't stop playing when he starts clapping, inclining her head and grinning. She doesn't keep singing, though, content to finish out her chorus as she addresses him with a smile.]

You smell like someone's working late tonight and needs dinner.

[he gives her a little thumbs up]

Me? Nah. This bag on the other hand though... [he tilts his head to the bag strapped across his back] Figured I'd swing by and give you some kudos before I drop off this guy's burger deal. Y'know, since there's no telling when you're going to finish but Sato's waiting in the breakroom. Speaking of...

[he gives her a quick salute before jogging off and out of sight. Easy enough to assume he's just finishing his delivery and removing the ever tempting smell of fries from the room. Nikki doesn't particularly mind, but it's never a good thing when his delivery reviews start to dip. He does come back a few minutes later, bag slung over his arm and phone in hand marking off another delivery done]

Woo~ 12 minute delivery! Gotta make a note of that route for next time... [a grin as he walks in] Y'know, you sounded great in the Dream Sphere but you're not half bad in the waking world either. You sure you're out of practice?

[She smiles softly when he praises her, but with a nod, Lisa lets him go finish his delivery. Can't let Sato wait for dinner! So she goes back to practicing the bridge again, and she's still at it when he returns.]

Nice work. And... thanks, Nikki. But that should be a good twenty or thirty percent faster. I used to be able to jam that out no problem. So I have some work to do! [Her expression turns a little more tender.] But practicing over there is helping a little bit here. Is it too weird to say Rhodonite's got my back?

[he nods along as he makes his way further into the room before dropping off his delivery bag on a table that he quickly commandeers as a seat for himself as well]

Nah, not weird at all. [grins] I'd be way more worried if you said something about how it doesn't feel like your Dreamer-self has nothing to do with you. There would be something pretty serious happening if that was the case.

Someone might think it's cheating to be able to practice in a Dream, but let me tell you; even if I can easily grind along rails and jump across floating platforms effortlessly in a dream, that does not actually translate to doing something like that in real life. Helps keep the muscle memory though!

[he does a little flex gesture for emphasis. It looks a little pathetic with his own skinny arms, but Nikki flashes a bright toothy grin when he does it, like it isn't or that he doesn't mind either way]

Haa, tell me about it. Rhodonite is graceful and elegant and so many things I wish I could be. But... that's kinda how dreams are, right? They're what you want to be, and you have to reach out and take that for yourself.

[Wait, you're saying Nikki doesn't roll around at the speed of sound? Still, she grins when he flexes.]

So I have to work hard, on both sides. Both of us do, yeah? Gotta push those delivery times down further by jumping across the rooftops.

[it looks like he's going to comment that people usually prefer peppy over elegant teenagers but her comment about jumping across rooftops causes his entire thought process to throw on the emergency brakes.

He stares at her in surprise, jaw hanging open, before saying:]

Wait, how'd you know about that?

[Nikki...]

[Blink, blink. Then a slightly accusing look.]

Nikki... I was joking. You actually do that? That's quite some athleticism! But now I don't know how you're going to get much faster, if you already don't have to deal with stuff like crossing lights!

Well... Not so much here- Okay, sometimes around here. But some of the towns I've been through have these like... [he holds out both hands to indicate a very small space] pretty packed housing situations so it's just a hop away. The hardest part is getting up there without anyone seeing you but after that it's just faster than fighting foot traffic...

[wait- He freezes for a second before he waves his hands in circular motions]

You didn't hear that from me thooooough~ [the last part is drawn out, and couple with his hand movements, sounds a little spooky. Behold, a non-licensed mind-wiping gesture!?]

But enough about me! [clap...]

...

What were we talking about again?

I mean, it makes sense. But I have an image of your foot going through someone's roof. If you say it's fine, I'll trust you, but... please be careful?

[She shakes her head, laughing softly at his insistence that she didn't hear anything.]

We were talking about working hard to take lessons from your Dreams, I think. And that practice will eventually make perfect. [She glances away.] Especially under duress, I bet.]

I- Hey! I'm always careful! [he potus as the crowds unanimously pressing 'X' to doubt] Besides, that only happened the one time...

[wait-]

... A-Ahem... [he spots her looking away and tilts his head curiously]

Well... Perfection's fine and all, but I think it's better to be adaptable, y'know? Considering how Dreams have their own logic and stuff, there's really no knowing what might happen at any moment. You were doing a pretty good job even after Zeke got knocked out during that Excursion. [he grins] We'd probably have been washed out way sooner if we didn't have your shields.

[The X button on her controller is starting to wear out here, Nikki. But she lets him get away with it, still laughing lightly.]

I mean, you're right, but I think they're both important. If something's worth doing, it's worth doing well, yeah? I... really just want to be better. A better me all around, in Dreams and out here.

August catch-all ♫

uh, around | August 25th

yes we've already got a thread but

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