yumemigaoka | October Catch-All

Expected Contents: research! on Disturbances, but also lookin for anything related to Dreamers with familiars/companions. for Totally Just Curious Reasons. Trust. might do a Dreamsphere prompt if i get an idea (if you wanna do somethin HMU!!)

[Searching through the Dreamsphere was getting her nowhere. It had been months, and she'd searched as much as she could, but still no signs of Rhythm.

So she was going to approach this from a different angle. And while doing that, maybe she could get an idea of what exactly happened last month, too.

That's what brings Nadeshiko to the Union a couple times early in the month. The earliest someone would be able to find her on her first visit would be when she's looking around for wherever the information she's looking for can be found.

Once she finds where that is, though, she quickly gets to work. Any files or information she's allowed to access, she's looking through. She looks at whatever she can find on Disturbances, obviously, but she can also be found peering through things like records of past Dreamers, with a determined face that suggests that whatever her reasons for doing so are, they're personal.]

[If there was one thing Amane hated about getting involved with these Night Terror battles (aside from the danger and the inevitable fresh round of trauma it unearthed, of course), it was all of the paperwork afterwards. He didn't exactly mind writing reports when it came to Excursions or other discoveries, but this... this took a lot out of him. Coupled with the fact that he was constantly being sent back to correct all the kanji he messed up on the reports, not to mention midterms were coming up, and it was a recipe for a massive headache. This was... what, the third time over the past week or so, now? At least his body finally stopped aching after the beating he got from Berserker Hibiki, anyway...

He's just about done handing in his Actually Corrected and Totally Error-Free (dubious) report to the proper folks when something springs to mind. He knew of the broader strokes of Mio's Night Terror-- those involved, what she had said afterwards-- but it had occurred to him he didn't know the finer details of it all. Maybe if he pulled up the stuff documenting her Disturbance, he could possibly refresh himself on all of this and find some sort of thread between them.

It comes as a surprise, then, when the cabinets seemed to be cleared out-- did someone need it for reference after Hibiki's incident or something? But his questions are soon answered when he spots a familiar looking face nearby... which was sort of odd, because he was sure he'd never seen this girl until now. Unless...

He's silent as he pads on up behind her, taking in the determined look on her face. Did something happen while she was in there...? She seemed too intent for something that could be just mere curiosity. When he's close enough, though, he finally pipes up, tone decidedly casual and chipper.]

Awful lot of files you got there! You looking for something in particular?

[She's pretty focused on what she's doing, meaning she doesn't see Amane at all at first. Nadeshiko's starting from the beginning, the first Disturbance that seems to have popped up here, and seems pretty invested in the reading.

Though, it's times like this she wishes Temari could be here in the real world, too. Sure, she feels her presence in her mind all the time, but she can't hear her, and her little companion is good at catching things she doesn't. It feels like the more she reads, the more questions she has.

It's as she decides to take a break and look at one of the Dreamer files instead that Amane speaks up, and she jolts a little where she sits. She recovers quickly, though, and looks back at the other.]

Ah, well...I wanted to know more about what happened last month. What that...structure was. So I figured it best to look at the ones that happened before, though I haven't gotten very far yet.

[Meaning your incident hasn't been reached by her yet, Amane!]

And while I was here, there was something I wished to look into for more...personal reasons. [Hence the Dreamer files.]

[He gives her an apologetic smile when she starts, although... was he really sorry?? Probably not. It seems like even outside of the Dream Sphere, he was still something of a lil stinker, unfortunately. Still, a flash of recognition sparks in his eyes when she fully turns to face him, and-- oh. This was probably the sister of that boy he ran into at the museum, wasn't it? He had said they were twins, but... this might have been the first time Amane's run into another set of identical ones himself. Was this how everyone else felt when they saw him and Tsukasa together...?

He can't help but blink for a moment at her response, but then it clicks-- right, she was still pretty new here, wasn't she? Her brother did say she recently Awakened and all...]

Oh... was that your first Disturbance, then? It is pretty jarring, especially if you've never been in one before. [A beat, and then, as he amends:] I mean, not that it's easier for the more experienced folks, either, but...

[He moves to sit in a nearby chair, eyes darting to the files in front of her. Drat... if she was still on Mio's, he was going to have to wait for a bit to look through it himself. Granted, he was relieved she hadn't gone through his yet-- she'd have to still plow through Ango's file if she was going in order-- but the idea of someone else inevitably thumbing through his trauma put him on edge a bit. With all the other folders there, maybe she wouldn't notice if one conveniently went missing though...]

They're a pretty new thing, so even the DU's still got questions about what's going on with them. [Although, now that he's spotted the folders on other Dreamers there...] What other thing are you trying to look into, though? Did you see something weird in there?

[After all, Hibiki hadn't mentioned anything about Crimson while they were fighting her Night Terror... but maybe this girl had spotted something involving her instead?]

Yes, it was. [To call it 'jarring' feels like an understatement, but it sums it up fairly well.] When I learned it was not a one-off occurrence, I decided to look into it more, so that I could be better prepared if another shows up.

[Though that 'if' feels more like a 'when' now, with how many others seem to have happened. They had a decent amount of time in between them, yes, but it feels inevitable, now, that she's going to witness another.

And she wants to be prepared. She wants to be able to do better, especially after what happened in there...]

Oh, no, nothing like that. [At his other question, Nadeshiko quickly shakes her head.] Truth be told, this is research I've wanted to do for some time, but never got the chance before...since I was already going to be here, I figured it'd be good to take care of both objectives at once.

[Hmm, maybe...]

This might be a strange question, but...are you aware of any Dreamers, current or from the past, who have or had some sort of...'familiar', I suppose, with them? Another being, related to their powers in some way, that appears alongside them within the Dreamsphere.

[Oh, he knows better than anyone else that "jarring" was underselling the experience by a long shot, especially for a newbie, but he couldn't really find a better way to describe it. The odd, hyper-lucidity that came with entering a Disturbance, the echoes of the trapped person's emotions resonating through every detail of the place... it was too much to try to condense down into a single phrase. It was good to see someone looking to be proactive about this sort of thing, but...]

Mm... Disturbances tend to be pretty different depending on who's at the heart of it, so it's kinda hard to be truly prepared for them, I think. I mean... at least from what I've seen of 'em, anyway.

[He nonchalantly pulls at a folder from the Disturbance pile, seemingly at random, casually flipping it open to study what was inside. Of course, it's all for show-- he knows exactly what's in this file, perhaps with more detail than what was within... but he wasn't about to let her catch onto that. Thankfully, her question was a decent enough distraction, and he shuts the folder closed for now, making sure to keep the name on the tab concealed against the table. At about two and a half years of Dreamer-ing, he wasn't AS knowledgeable of the Dream Sphere and it's residents compared to the older, more seasoned members. but...]

Familiars...? Hm... I think so? One of my trainees has these kinda... rabbit-like things called Mokke that like to pop up and follow her around while she's in there. They're not all that bright, though...

[Somewhere at this very moment, the Mokke's desire to rip Hanako limb from limb grows ever stronger--]

I did see another girl go and summon this sort of garden gnome creature just recently too, but I wouldn't say it's like a companion or anything.

[A beat, and then he adds:]

Oh! There's this one guy who constantly has rats around him, though! Does that count?

[That makes sense. Even with the little she's read, the first one definitely seems like it was quite different from what she'd experienced last month. Still...any knowledge could still help, in her eyes.

Especially if one if the friends she'd made here ever got caught up in it. Even if the thought terrified her.

Nadeshiko does notice Amane grab the file out of the corner of her vision, but doesn't pay it much mind, instead choosing to focus on the other half of their conversation. That's definitely more examples than she was expecting, but just from the sounds of things...none of them seem much like Temari, at least from the basic descriptions.] Hmm...I suppose that would depend on how...sentient they are, I guess? Perhaps "independent" would be the better word.

[She taps her finger on the table for a moment, debating to herself, before deciding that she probably should elaborate. It probably won't make much sense as to why she's looking into this, otherwise.]

I'm...mainly looking for a point of comparison, since I have one myself. [Who, once again, she is kinda wishing could somehow appear in the real world, since it would likely make this easier to explain.] She's always with me while I'm in the Dreamsphere, and our current guess is that she is some sort of manifestation of my powers, but...she's capable of acting on her own accord, so she's definitely an independent being.

[Even if they are fairly similar, personality-wise. Though Temari does seem more...volatile than Nadeshiko is, sometimes. She has to wonder where that could possibly come from.]

[He tilts his head for a moment at that, before propping his chin up on the heel of his hand. Well, that explains some things, then. As far as he knew, there weren't really any Experienced Dreamers around with those sort of powers-- at least not in Yumemigaoka, anyway-- so it made sense that she had to resort to digging through the records to get some sort of perspective. Shame that the only person he knew with similar powers had zero idea of how they worked...]

Ah... well, in that case, I think the Mokke definitely fit into that mold. They're usually off doing their own thing whenever I see them, and they don't really listen to their owner, so... you can't get any more independent than that, right?

[Though now that he was saying it out loud... yeesh, were they really all that suited to be called Nene's familiars after all? It's not like they really helped her when it mattered, and they were usually off making a nuisance of themselves instead of doing anything useful. Why were they even around in the first place...? ~~Because they were cute and marketable, that's why!!~~

He hums for a moment in contemplation, as he considers the rest of what she said, and then:]

By "acting of her own accord", though... do you mean she's possibly doing her own thing in the Dream Sphere while you're away...?

[Not that he's ever heard of a Dreamer's abilities remaining active even after they've woken up, but if that was what she was dealing with, he wouldn't blame her for wanting to look into it. After all, what if something attacked her familiar while she was away? That couldn't bode well for her powers...]

[So there is someone with something similar, after all...! Even if the temperaments sound very different, that something like her own companion exists at all definitely seems to make Nadeshiko's expression brighten. She might be one step closer to figuring out Temari's whole deal, which could mean being a step closer to finding Rhythm!

Plus, well...being able to understand exactly what her deal is with her own powers will be a bonus. It'd probably bring some sort of peace of mind to Temari, too, since she knows she's also been wondering more about herself.]

I suppose you can't... [She lightly chuckles at the mental image - even if she's not sure what they look like, it does still sound a bit silly, though it'd likely only be such in a non-combat scenario...] Ah, though...no, as far as I'm aware, she can't act while I'm not there.

[How did she describe it, again...?]

Temari told me before...apparently, she goes into some sort of slumber whenever I'm not in the Dreamsphere, but doesn't actually remember falling asleep, nor waking up when I enter. She described it as being more like simply blinking, only to find everything different when she opens her eyes again.

Expected Contents: maybe likeeee one. sorta-serious thing. but after that! halloween shenanigans!! and maybe some other stuff idk (again, HMU with any specific ideas if u got em!)

[So. Last month...happened.

He'd been fine going in. Sure it was pretty freaky, seeing something like that, especially finding out one of their own made it, but...being Maihime always gave him confidence, even when he'd only just switched like then. And others had been involved, he hadn't been alone. It had started out fine.

And then...the incident with the doppelganger happened.

It had known. Obviously not the Dreamer who made the area and the monsters, but whatever sort of thing powering it, or maybe the monster itself, it has known. And people had seen it, and one even made a correct guess, and...

What was he supposed to do now?

...with a sigh and a shake of the head, Nagihiko stood up from the bench, stretched, then grabbed the ball he'd had next to him.

Maybe shooting some hoops would help get his mind off of this.]

[ yumemigaoka still dazzles kenko, for better and for worse. it thrives with life, with people, so many little stories that even the most beautiful vistas of the dream sphere seem empty compared to it.

so she wanders, sometimes, an insatiable curiosity driving her to find every lost little corner of the city that might have something new and wonderful for her to see.

this is how she bumps into nagihiko. she cocks her head to the side as she watches him shoot hoops, the gears turning in her mind as she tries to come up with an appropriate angle to approach him from.

...might as well be sincere. ]

Mind if I try? [ yes. got the inflection right the first time. that's progress. ]

[It doesn't take long for him to get into the groove of things. Playing sports had always helped him chill out and take his mind off of bad things, and this time was no different. Before long, he's absorbed in the little one-man game, heart feeling lighter than it has in a while.

It's when he's taking a quick break to stretch a little that Kenko shows up. He glances over with a hum, and smiles, picking up the ball.]

Go ahead! [With a grin, he tosses the ball her way.] You ever done this before?

[Well, he's been ruminating on All Of That for way too long, and he needs ways to get this stuff completely off of his mind. Thankfully, now is the perfect time for that.

His family in general isn't very big on Halloween, but Nagihiko's always adored it, if only because of his love of startling people & telling ghost stories. Typically, he tends to play up Nadeshiko as being the one really enamored with that stuff, but...well, he's not her right now. And he isn't going to let the chance to enjoy the festivities go to waste.

Only thing is, with everything that happened, he...really hasn't had time to think up a costume.

So, he's going to peer around and see what he can come up with!

He knows his spending limits, so he's sticking to the various kinds of cheaper clothing stores around Akabeni, where he runs into his second problem: he's...not sure if he's going to be Nagihiko or Nadeshiko on actual Halloween. So either he picks something androgynous, that he knows he'll be comfortable in no matter what, or he shells out extra to get a costume for both.

So you'll see him contemplating all sorts of clothes, and sometimes he'll stop in front of things like second-hand suits and dresses and just...contemplate a little, mumbling to himself, genuinely not noticing if someone's nearby to hear.]

...should I just shell out the extra money, or...?

Edited 2024-10-13 07:48 (UTC)

[Shinsha, too, is scouring Akabeni's thrift shops in search of a cheap Halloween outfit. They've always been too much of an awkward wallflower to go to parties, but... someone at school invited them to a costume party, and they were so flustered that they said yes by mistake. Maybe if they wear green and put flowers in their hair, they can stand quietly in a corner and pretend to be a potted plant.

They're so absorbed in browsing that they don't notice that there's anyone else in the shop until Nagihiko speaks. They jump a little, not sure if he was talking to them or just muttering under his breath.]

You mean... two costumes?

[Isn't he one of the newer Dreamers? Shinsha doesn't spend much time socializing at the Dreamer Union so they don't know everyone, but he does look a little familiar... but wait, wasn't that new Dreamer a girl? Maybe there's another set of twins?]

[He is indeed muttering to himself, which means Nagihiko isn't exactly expecting anyone to respond. He hides his surprise well, though.]

Oh, one would be for my sister. [He chuckles a little, sheepishly fiddling with his hair a bit.] She loves Halloween, but isn't sure if she'll have time for it this year, and insisted I just get a costume for myself so I can at least enjoy it. I'm just wondering if I should get her one anyway, on the off chance she is free.

[And, well, whatever costume he doesn't wear this year could be used in the next. Possibly. If things line up like that.]

Edited 2024-10-15 05:23 (UTC)

[Ah, so he's another twin after all. Shinsha wonders if there's something about twins that makes one of them more likely to become a Dreamer... there's Amane and Tsukasa, and Ruby and Aqua, too.]

Oh... that's kind of you. Your sister must be busy with, um... Dreamer things.

[Shinsha isn't actively hiding their status as a Dreamer anymore, but it still feels awkward to indirectly admit to being one.]

I hope you're both able to enjoy it. I'm not used to celebrating Halloween, but... it's sort of fun.

[...ok, the first part catches him off guard a little, but just a little. Considering how Maihime's gotten more active as of late, it makes sense that she'd start to become more known, even by people he hasn't met yet.

...not that he's supposed to know all of those exact details - using the 'oh my sister told me' excuse only goes so far - so...]

Got it in one. She's been doing some sort of research and extra training lately. I think something kinda serious happened last month that prompted it, but she hasn't given me many of the details.

[He's really glad he got all of that done earlier in the month. Beyond being free for Halloween, he's just...glad to get all of that stuff out of his mind for the moment.

Whiiiich the other topic is doing, so he's gonna grin and take the chance to swing it in that direction!] It is! My sister's more of a fan of the scary aspect of it - she's always been a sucker for ghost stories - but both of us have always enjoyed dressing up in costumes in general, so this is a pretty good excuse to do that.

[Keiwa's not the sort of person who joins in on festivities on his own, too shy and too used to accompanying some member of his family (his sister, usually). But fall sales mean that he can pick up some warm clothes on a budget... Unlike the tanuki that his Dreamer appearance mimics, Keiwa doesn't have a plush fur coat to hide under for winter. Layering helped but didn't really keep the chill out which means he's now browsing stores in his rare free time trying to find something fleecy and warm.

Even if he wasn't planning on getting a costume, there's something fun about looking around at what people were gathering for their own. Some people got pretty creative when on a budget!]

Extra money...? [he looks over at a kid who looks... Really familiar! Have they met...?] Hmm... Maybe if you were looking for newer or nicer material? Otherwise, for clothes on a budget, the ones here are fine.

[Nagihiko's still pretty deep in thought, and isn't really expecting a response to him, so Keiwa's startles him briefly. He glances over, and-

Oh, he's...maybe met this guy before, he thinks? Or, well...maybe Nadeshiko has. His brain is sorta making that connection, so he's gonna roll with that and hope he's right.]

Oh, no, it's not the clothes themselves I'm talking about. I'm fine with the ones here. [His family might be well-off, but Auntie had constantly instilled in him the importance of saving and conserving when possible regardless.] I'm just wondering if I should get some extra stuff to put together a costume for my sister while I'm here. She's not sure if she'll be free on Halloween, but I know she'd be upset if she was and didn't have anything to wear for it.

Ah... That's very thoughtful of you. [he says this with such sincere cheer, like it doesn't even seem strange to him. Then again-] Nee-chan is the one who usually buys costume things for us to wear. Nothing big but...

[he smiles, always a little homesick at the thought of his family]

It would depend on whether you want matching outfits or not?

October Catch-All

Nadeshiko-Based Prompts

Dreamer Union - Early-ish October

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Nagihiko-Based Prompts

Some Public Court Somewhere - Early October (before Nadeshiko's prompt)

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Around Akabeni - Mid-October

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