yumemigaoka | (no subject)

[nodnodnod]

It's definitely difficult to keep up with, even if it's also meant to be inspiring. The rest of us will just have to do our best to keep up.

Um... Do you mind if I follow you for a little bit, Maki-san? Just to get an idea of where things here are. [since it's his first time participating in Obon 1) alone and 2) away from his home]

Don't see why not. Come on, this way.

[She gestures and starts walking up the stairs with a smirk.]

The festival in general is pretty normal as they go, you're gonna be fine. Just let me know if you have questions.

[he jogs after her once he gets the okay, looking pretty relieved to not be at a loss by himself at a busy shrine]

Admittedly, I probably should have paid more attention to what we were doing when we went together but... Who knows? Living alone really puts things in a different perspective.

Don't I know it. You want to check out the dance displays first, or more of the usual festival stall kinda thing?

Oh, the dance displays maybe? It seems like a good way to learn about the city too. [a laugh] I can't believe it's been almost a year since I moved here...

This way. [She keeps climbing the stairs with a nod.] You still feel like you need to learn about Yumemigaoka, huh? How so?

Hmm! Well, I was helping out a bit during the anniversary festival - the Museum's Dream Sphere dioramas? - but when it came to answering people's questions about the city, it was... A struggle? It's not a problem around the DU building and Moon Bunny Market but outside of those places...

And after what happened... I was wondering if maybe knowing more about Yumemigaoka the city would be any help to rebuilding the Slumbering City.

Heh. Maybe you're right. People's dreams are made out of what they see in the real world, aren't they? Then again, the Dream Sphere's pretty real as it is, to the people who go in there.

Right? If people dream about what they see, the images of a fixed city would... Help? In some way? Maybe?

You don't sound too sure. Working out your theories?

[slight panic as he stammers in embarrassment for a few seconds]

Well... I only joined last year, so it feels like it would be too bold to just say that 'it will help'. But it's still worth a try, right?

Hence wanting to learn more about the city and the people in it...

Hey, calm down. I'm not judging, okay? Listen, nobody has their act together. Except maybe Hoshino, and after what Genbu said, I'm not sure about her either.

A-ah... [oh no- he's been using them as examples whenever he's trying to encourage Illya. Maybe he ought to re-evaluate]

It's... Probably not a good thing that we rely on Ai-san so much, huh?

She's something, don't get me wrong. It's hard to believe she's even real. But... she is real, and we gotta pick up our own slack. ...Not that it's easy, look at us.

It's pretty easy to buy into the image she projects though. For those of us who are just starting, it's really reassuring to have someone like Ai-san or Zeke-san to look to.

[there's a pause before he adds cheerfully] Of course, Maki-san's also a reassuring presence at the DU.

[snrk] What, me? I'm just an IT monkey with a side of general errand girl. I'm not even a Dreamer, at least the others have that going for them.

Well... [he looks a little embararassed] We both know how Ai-san and Zeke-san are - they don't feel real half the time. If everyone only had those two and the other senior Dreamers to look up to at the DU... 'Overwhelming' might be a good way to put it. And it feels like it's already too easy to bite off more than you can handle.

So it's nice to have someone grounded...? [a laugh] But when I say it out loud like that, it sounds much worse. Sorry....

Pfft-- [Maki bursts out laughing and has to stop as they reach the top of the steps.] You're something, you know that? At least you're honest.

[her laugh startles him and leaves him stammering through a smile] W-Wait- It's not that funny, is it? Eh? What do you mean??

Don't worry about it. ...You know what I did before I came to the DU, right?

[blinks... Thinks about it... Did they ever talk about it? You can practically hear the gears grinding in his head as he tries to remember and comes up short. Sheepishly;]

No...?

...I was one of those kids who always wanted to be an actor.

[Maki steps to the side to let more people past them. She looks over to the side, where festival stalls glow past the shrine building.]

Put everything I had into it, too. I was sending off letters and doing auditions since I was old enough to go into town on my own. Moved to the city once I could. I got into commercials, then some bit parts in shows and TV movies, while I kept myself afloat with odd jobs.

Then I ended up on a variety show with a bunch of other up-and-comers. Had to take some dares for the cameras. You know the deal. Stick your hand in this box. See which of the things in this room is made out of cake. Eat a live cicada.

I bailed. Chickened out of eating the stupid bug. Some idol did it instead. After that, callbacks dried up and casting directors stopped returning my calls. I wasted my dream over a bug, and now I gotta live with it.

[Keiwa follows behind her, apologizing softly out of habit before giving her his full attention... Though by the end of it, even Keiwa's natural optimism can't quite overcome the bitterness of the story]

That... That's just cruel. But I don't think you were wrong either. [he knows he's bad at pep talks, soft spoken as he is, yet just leaving it like this is a little too sad as well] It's- Even if you had done it, would it really be okay to be known as that one actress who ate a bug on TV?

[he's gonna do this best anyway]

Right or wrong, it's what happened. I gotta deal with it.

[Maki shakes her head, looks off towards the festivities.]

I do appreciate it, though. You saying that stuff about me, even if I don't think I deserve it.

Still... What happened was unfair.

Everyone deserves to have nice things said about them. [then, a little flustered;] I meant what I said though.

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