★ blind the masses with a grin, stir up the media

[liedol]

⭐ Who: Ai and you!
⭐ When: End of May through July
⭐ Where: Various prompts around Yumemigaoka and the Dream Sphere
⭐ What: An Ai catchall for the next month! After a suspiciously well timed vacation out to Hokkaido, Ai's back in Yumemigaoka and ready to catch up on everything she missed. I'm also down for doing closed/private prompts so hit me up on Discord if you'd like to plan something!

Comments

May 22nd - Dreamer Union

[liedol]

[ With the chaos of Golden Week and the anniversary celebration behind them, things at the DU have settled... mostly back to normal. You know, as normal as you can ever expect a place like the DU to get. It's into this relative normalcy at the DU office that a familiar face comes swanning in her usual incognito gear and with a big smile. With a bit of a flourish, she whips off her sunglasses and – ]

Surpriiiiiise! Did you miss me? [ it's not a surprise. she was due back at work today. but let her have a LITTLE fun. ] You would not believe how perfect the weather was out there – I got a little tan, can you see? Ooh and don't worry, I brought back souvenirs!

[ And with that, she starts unpacking her bag onto her desk and steadily piling up more and more... and more... sweets all the way from Hokkaido. D–did she seriously try and get enough for the entire office??? ]

So? What did I miss? Who got in the most trouble while I was gone?

[saynotobugs]

[When most people are thrown off by Ai, it's usually because they're starstruck. There might even be some of that in Maki's blink and half-second stare, just because it's Ai. You don't shrug someone like that off so easily. But the immediate, room-filling aura of someone who not only managed to make it in show business but became a top star and gets to do what she loves... Well, it fills Maki with things she doesn't like to think about.

But that's not fair to Ai, so she just smiles and waves from where she's fixing someone's computer.]

Well, I saw some poor sap get chased up a tree at the anniversary. [Maki shakes her head and laughs.] Glad you had a good time out there.

[liedol]

If that's all that went wrong, it's a big step up from last year! I had bruises up and down my arms from that display coming down for weeks...

[ Put like that it's uh, not really any wonder she decided to adios out of there and take a vacation this time around.

Bag mostly unpacked, Ai scoops up a little bundle of food and hurries over to Maki to start making snack deliveries. ]

And this one's for you! [ She hands over a bulging pack of fancy rice crackers in a few different flavours. ] I wasn't sure what sweets you'd like but then I thought – if it's Maki-chan, you can't go wrong with rice!

[trickyjedi]

You JUST missed the biggest storm of the year.

Also a huge public facing DU event, but I'm sure that was just a coincidence.

[Ben does not think that was a coincidence.]

[liedol]

You guys all managed totally fine without me though, right? I was so confident you'd knock it out of the park, you didn't need me to hang around and be here.

[ Ai gives him her Prettiest And Most Innocent Smile. Come on, you can't be mad at her when she's practically got puppy eyes like that, can you? ]

Besides! This was everybody else's time to shine. Isn't it polite to give up the spotlight now and then?

[thezekeinator]

Wah -- you're back!

[Look at that gleeful delight on Zeke's face! He immediately shoves the accordion file he's carrying onto the nearest person without bothering to ask permission, zipping over almost as fast as if he were in the Dream Sphere.]

Looking fabulous and bringing candy? The Dreamer Union is finally back to where it should be again!

[liedol]

[ Ai gives him a cheery peace sign and a grin. ]

Things just aren't the same when we're missing someone, huh? [ ... so says the woman who took a month long vacation... ] But I'm back in action! – Oh, and...

[ Into her bag of souvenirs she goes and produces a little paper box that she hands over to him – once popped open, it contains an elegant red omamori charm marked with a blessing for good health. ]

We stopped by the Hokkaido Shrine and I thought you could use a little help! I couldn't find one for good luck, so I thought this was the next best thing.

Last week of May - Dream Sphere

[liedol]

[ Back to work doesn't just mean flitting around the office, of course – the most important part of a Dreamer's job is the whole... dreaming thing. It's in the name! So as soon as she's settled and caught up on everyone's business, Ai makes her way over to the other side. As much as there is to catch up on here, surely there's even more on the other side.

You'll usually catch Dreamer Ai-Doll in the Slumbering City, doing her usual work of making sure nothing's afoot with any newbie Dreamers. If you're looking particularly worried or out of place, then you might find yourself set upon in a well-meaning way by a very enthusiastic Ai-Doll. ]

It's a little overwhelming to start with, huh? Don't worry, you got this!

[ ... Or maybe you're out in one of the outlying locations and facing some particularly nasty Torments – maybe even a Nightmare! Whether you're struggling or managing to hold your own, you'll see a sudden flash of light strike your enemy like... a spotlight? Once the light hits them, the enemy's attention suddenly whips away from you over to Dreamer Ai-Doll, who's illuminated by a similar plume of radiance. ]

Sorry to barge in. But right now, you're duetting with me!

[darcangel]

[ Dreamer La Pucelle pauses in the middle of a crowd of suddenly distracted Torments her own attention momentarily caught. Incredible.....A beacon from heaven?

No, it appears to be a Dreamer's magic. La Pucelle gathers her wits, figures out what sort of spell this must be, and salutes her fellow Dreamer with her sword. If this person keeps the Torments distracted, then she can wipe them out from behind, one by one - ]

[liedol]

[ Ai-Doll returns a cheery, double-peace salute – not overtly enough to redirect any attention back to the younger girl, but as a quick show of encouragement. She's got this! ]

And now I've got your full attention... let's start the show!

[ A Torment instantly rushes in to try and grab hold of her, but Ai-Doll spins and steps so elegantly out of the way you could be tricked into thinking she really was fighting instead of dancing. Even without the magic she's using, it's hard to keep your eyes off her. It's just the sort of distraction you need to deal with Torments...! ]

[breezyplayboy]

[Hark! A Newbie Dreamer! He's out and about without his senpai around, for better or worse, trying to practice his powers. He's working on balance as he jumps around, summoning and dismissing his shield, which seems to be a slightly different shape each time, and summoning a breeze with his palms.]

[He's looking very serious about it all and not paying enough attention, clearly, because Ai-Doll is able to walk right up to him. Maybe he expects a more familiar face, but he certainly doesn't expect the famous Dreamer-Idol of the DU to greet him. Personally. Within arm's reach. Smiling at him with that encouraging look and her little fangs.]

[Like any true idol fan, he loses his absolute goddamn shit. He yelps and drops his shield, which bounces into his sandglass and lands against his gauntlet again as he stumbles, bowing at the waist to be polite and to hide how red his face is.]

Thank you! I'm doing my best!

[Help.]

[liedol]

[ It's been a good few years of getting this sort of response when she goes ahead and – let's call it what it is – jumpscares one of the newbies, but it still tickles her every time one of them gives her such a good reaction. Especially when it's one of the (many) teens who are so much taller than her. A healthy reputation really makes up for a lot, huh? ]

Heehee, you don't have to be so formal with me. [ She's just going to politely pretend that whole fumble with his shield did not happen..... for his mental health..... ] We're all on the same side, right? We can afford to be a little more relaxed.

[ Not that she expects that to ever actually work, but hey. She gave it a shot. ]

You're still getting used to moving around, right? I was watching for a little bit before I came over.

slumbering city;

[traceofeffort]

[After getting thrown about the Dream Sphere a week or two ago, Rhodonite has been a little disheartened about her ability to keep up. So, she's been trying to push herself to improve. That, in turn, brought her to the Slumbering City to train today again. There are enough Dreamers running around this area, consistently enough, that she doesn't feel horribly threatened. In danger if she gets complacent, sure, but not actively threatened. Exams being over helps.

So, she's here alternating between taking on the occasional Torment when she finds one, and trying to get better with her magic - she feels like she's on the cusp of something new. Right now her bass is to hand, and she's channeling magic through it as she plays, searching within herself for that little feeling that keeps escaping her-

-when that voice hits her and everything just. Goes out the window, her arms falling to her side. Was. Was that. That can't be-]

Aaaaaaaaaaa-

[Pardon her. Lisa.EXE has stopped responding. Temporarily incapable of words. No, stop, reboot, turn around-]

Y-y-yes! I... I'm still getting used to things, but I want to improve! I, um, ah... I have no idea what I'm supposed to say to someone so cool, aaaaa-

[Lisa, honey. You're supposed to keep that part on the inside.]

[liedol]

[ Despite all her fumbling, Ai-Doll just smiles at her encouragingly.

(It takes a truly concerning amount of professionalism for the smile to not break into a laugh) ]

We all had to start somewhere! Knowing you want to improve's always a good first step. And it's always nice seeing people take the initiative and give training a shot even when their Mentors aren't around! So you get a gold star on that front from me.

[ As if all this isn't bad enough, Ai-Doll leans in a little so she can take a proper look at Lisa's bass, ooh-ing and aah-ing the whole time. ]

Ooh and is this your weapon? I haven't seen anyone with a real instrument in such a long time!

[darknesshotpot]

[Ango had expected a lot more magical battles in his new "career," but it turns out that working for the DU is more or less like every other low-paid crap job he's had: hours of boredom punctuated by occasional moments where everything goes to hell. Tonight they've got him doing data collection, which is firmly in the "boredom" category. For the past few hours, Ango has been recording the number of Figments in various areas throughout the Slumbering City and making note of any that could be headed towards spawning a Torment. It's enough to make him wonder what happens if you fall asleep in the Dream Sphere - do you wake up in the real world, or do you end up in a deeper layer of Dream Sphere like in that trippy Leonardo DiCaprio movie?

He's startled from his daydreaming by the perky, upbeat voice of a Dreamer who looks like she's straight out of the casting department for a Dreamer Union promotional movie. She's perfect, from the ribbons on her shoes to the layer cake ruffles of her skirt to the sparkle in her eyes. If Ango were capable of feeling shame, he might feel just a little self-conscious about his own half-assed ninja cosplay outfit.]

Uh, yeah, thanks for the encouragement... hey, is it just me, or does that Figment over there look kinda sus?

[There's something familiar about her... is she that club hostess he flirted with in Kabukichou? Or maybe she was in a TV commercial? Most Dreamers don't look exactly like their real-world selves, but there's usually a resemblence... and Ango's seen those eyes somewhere before.]

[liedol]

Ooh, do you really think?

[ Ai-Doll stoops down a little to join him in snooping – she even makes a point to carefully adjust her skirt as she does so, as if the wholesome mahou vibes weren't perfect enough – and shades those sparkly eyes so she can follow his gaze out to whatever Figment he's been keeping an eye on so far. ]

It's definitely a little more solid than they usually are in the Slumbering City... maybe we've got a lucid dreamer on our hands. Or maybe they're just dreaming about really not wanting to go back to work.

[ She glances away from the Figment to give him a little grin. ]

What is it that has you worried?

Slumbering City

[sassysachi]

[ Dreamer Zeal is new here. Incredibly new. So new the fantastical, dreamlike state of the world she's now inhabiting not only hasn't worn off, but still excites and amazes. She can first be seen walking through the city staring at various buildings in their differing riotous pastels, every now and then stopping to examine a figment up close, her eyes full of sparkling wonder. ]

Ohhhh...

[ Her straightforward path eventually leads her to the edge of the city where an endless ocean seems to stretch out in front of her, and her already sparkling eyes widen. ]

Woooah! It's so big, and in every direction! I wish I had a swimsuit.

[ That's when something occurs to her! This is a dream, right? You don't need a swimsuit to swim in a dream! Sometimes in her dreams she simply appears underwater, and doesn't even need to breath! ]

Hahaha, here I go!

[ She lets out a cry, one hand on her hip with the other pointing to the sky, the other aiming at the expanse of water in front of her. She takes as quick a dash as she can, and then jumps high into the air, laughing wildly in joy at the height and distance she manages. Tilting over she holds her arms out towards the water--

...and slams nearly face first into the ground while learning this 'ocean' is only ankle deep. ]

Ow, ow, ow, ow!

[ She cries out again, covering her face with her white gloved hands and rolling around in the water, but it only takes a moment before she's laughing again.

But then, what's this? Words of encouragement! ]

Oh!

[ Zeal pops back up to her feet in an instant, eyes going even wider than when she'd seen the ocean, as what can be described as nothing less than a celebrity stands before her! It's an awestruck expression Ai-Doll has no doubt seen many times before, but this particular newbie seems to recover from being starstruck quicker than most! ]

Ahahaha~! It totally is overwhelming; isn't it awesome!?

[ She holds her arms out and spins as if to motion towards everything at once, jogging over afterwards back to the 'shore' with a splish splash of her boots in the shallow water. ]

First I wake up in a dream and almost get murdered by a nightmare,

[ There is exactly zero worry, fear, or regret in her voice at this. ]

then I get saved by real life heroes, and now I get to explore this amazing place and learn to save people myself!

[ She's so excitable that she hardly seemed ready to let Ai get a word in edgewise, though she does momentarily calm, leaning in to note. ]

Oh, but be careful about the water. It's super shallow and you can't swim in it at all!

[ It doesn't seem to occur to her that a consummate veteran literally used to publicly advertise the Dreamer Union would know this already. ]

[liedol]

[ Much to her delight, Ai-Doll finds that her initial suspicions about this girl had been entirely correct – she likes her fiercely and immediately. The instant recovery from a pratfall like that had made her think of Ruby so strongly it almost hurt and her excited chattering doesn't do the comparison any favors. Without even having to think about it, she instinctively stoops down as the smaller Dreamer approaches so the two of them can talk on eye level – just like she used to do with Ruby and Aqua when they were this small. ]

Heehee, it sounds like you're adjusting just fine, then. For a lot of people, the first few times they come here after Awakening can be a little scary but it sounds to me like you're having a lot of fun. That's the best way to feel, if you ask me.

[ She'd been scared out of her wits, after all – it'd taken time for her to be able to find the joy and wonder in it that should have been there all along. Seeing it expressed so exuberantly in someone right from the start is heartening. ]

How much exploring have you managed so far?

[hanamane]

[As far as Torments go, most of these ones were considerably puny-- but given their sheer numbers and tenacity, it made them particularly obnoxious to fight. Still, they couldn't just hang around and potentially turn into a Nightmare, so Hanako's got the... exciting... task of mowing down each of these critters one by one. Thankfully, a swipe of his knife or a good shot with one of his Haku-Joudai is enough to poof the majority of these creatures out of existence in a puff of glittery smoke (and appropriate sound effect), leaving just the biggest and the nastiest of the bunch left behind for last. These prove to be trickier to fell, taking more than just a single slice to defeat, and one of them's just about got Hanako pinned, as he struggles to get his weapon angled for one good STAB--

But then, a familiar beam of light comes down from above, catching both Dreamer and Torment's attention at once, and Hanako can't help but pout the moment he recognizes who it is.]

Awww, and it was just getting to the good part, too. ☆

[... nice reaction to getting saved there, kiddo. But whatever disappointment he might have in not getting this particular Torment is chased away by the hum of excitement starting to quickly build through his system, the thrill of being able to fight side by side as a fellow Experienced Dreamer at last being too much to ignore. He nimbly flips over the captivated creature, both his Dreamer agility and Levitation skill giving him some impressive air time, before landing neatly behind Ai-Doll, shooting her the biggest grin over his shoulder before focusing on the remainder of the Torments in the circle.]

Make sure you save some for me when you're done, Senpai!

[liedol]

If there's none left over–

[ Ai-Doll does a tricky little movement with her wand, spinning it through the air like a baton and somehow not once losing her grip on it. Light catches and sparkles off the sand inside and before long, a flurry of glittering stars have begun raining down over the Torments, striking down some and outright poofing away a good handful of them. ]

– then you just need to step up your game!

[ It's a little bizarre to be fighting with Hanako, not training or watching over him – but it's exciting, too. She's said all along that her favourite part of training new Dreamers is getting to watch them graduate and here's the fruits of her labour to show for it. Watching them find their wings and take flight is the best reward she could ask for. ]

June 3rd - Dream Sphere Excursion (Amane, Ango, Lisa)

[liedol]

[ It's far from Ai-Doll's first time leading an Excursion so she's brimming with cheery, casual confidence when the time comes around to escort Rhodonite on her trip outside of the Slumbering City. Hanako coming along had been her request and Decadence coming along had been... well, let's call it a happy accident. The more the merrier had been her cheery response and she's hoping that having a trio of more experienced Dreamers to help out will ease Rhodonite's nerves a little. ... or it'll give her stage fright she'll have to confront. Either way, things should work out fine! ]

Alright! Is everybody ready to go?

[ They're all ankle deep in the water of the city's northern most exit, submerged train tracks stretching out into the dreamy mists beyond. Even Ai-Doll has no idea where they'll end up, but it's sure to be interesting one way or another. ]

[traceofeffort]

[Rhodonite does understand that this trip is more or less for her! One certified Mentor who is also part of the Old Guard as much as the Union has such, two more Dreamers who have probably seen a lot, and then. Lisa. Good old, ordinary, newbie Lisa, Dreamer Rhodonite. There's no way she could be in any less danger than this on an outing, short of them finding her a way not to trip on her own silly face. So! She's reassured, right? Calm? Collected?]

Y-yes! Ready as I'm getting!

[.....as you can see, she's Doing Her Best still, as she alternates between looking to their nominal commander for today and peering into the mist. And her best is still not. Great? But she's determined not to screw this up. Her bass is still slung over her back to keep her hands free, in case something strange happens, but she's otherwise, well, as she said. Escort formation be damned, she will not just be someone to be protected!]

Um, whatever happens today, thank you for helping me. I'm inexperienced, but I'll be in your care. [There's. A little bit of fire burning in her eyes, even as she's trying not to vibrate in various ways.]

[darknesshotpot]

Yeah, I'm ready too.

...Probably should have brought an extra pair of socks.

[Ango wonders if everybody else has wet feet too, or if there was some memo that went out to the experienced Dreamers. Soggy stockings haven't dampened Ai-Doll's enthusiasm.

Although it may look like Decadence and Ai-doll are chaperoning a pair of kids on a field trip, the truth is that Ango's been a Dreamer for barely a month, that it's his first time venturing on an Excursion, and that if anything, the brat in the middle school uniform is chaperoning him. That's fine by him, though - he's not exactly the responsible adult type.

Still, Ango's gotta at least pretend that he knows what he's doing. Sunglasses and a perpetual slouch go a long way towards making him look like an old hand at this Dreamer buisness.]

June 5th - Dream Sphere Excursion (Zeke, Shu, Makoto)

[liedol]

Alright! Now we're all ready, let's head out!

[ You wouldn't think a woman who's just gotten back from vacation would be flinging herself into this much work this fast but here Ai-Doll is on her section Excursion of the week with another pair of newbies under her belt. Funnily, the second verse is almost the same as the first – Chaosbringer and Cerulean's presence had been planned but coming across Peach had been another of those happy accidents that had turned the trio into a group of four. All the better to get them accustomed to working in groups as far as Ai-Doll's concerned.

She leads the group cheerily from the city's west exist, wading following the train tracks and wading through water with the practiced ease of a woman to whom this is all but second nature by now. ]

Anybody feeling nervous? Excited, maybe?

[illrested]

Ah...

[ He wasn't sure how he'd gotten pulled into this, exactly. He'd been poking at the edges of the Dream Sphere, gauging just how her felt about being part of this world and whether or not being a hero was something he should commit himself to the whole thing. Now here he is, tagging along to be... a hero. ]

Nervous, mostly.

[ He mumbles. ]