yumemigaoka | Theater Kid's March Comes in Like a Lion

I hope so too. [She isn't sure. She's not a good judge of age, or--or anything like that. She's barely even thought about having kids herself. She hesitates for a second, as she considers it. Then, she looks at Keiwa, and nods.]

We can do this much for Ai-san, at least. [She nods, takes a deep breath, and pulls her phone out. She should text Amane and Lisa, too.] Let's go.

[he leads the way out of the department store, though the crowds aren't too ridiculous once they get out of the electronics department. But even walking around, there are little pockets of people chatting while looking at their phones. It's clear that the news is getting people to talk and talk a lot]

This is... Really bad timing for everyone at the DU. I can't imagine how Yoshino-san is going to handle this after...

['After Junna's own Disturbance.' Which goes without saying but isn't any less uncomfortable to point out. And seeing all these people talking about how 'Can you believe it? And when she was a teenager too!!' was giving him second hand anxiety on top of it]

Are you texting Lisa-san?

[Junna shoots someone that's talking about it loudly a glare as she passes, before she looks back up at Keiwa. She nods, though -- there's a moment where she flinches. This is bad timing, and it brings feelings of guilt from earlier in the month back up. She hesitates for a second, then tries to push past them.]

...I'm sorry. [It's said quietly.] It's terrible timing. We'll... just have to try to help, right?

[Then she looks up and nods, as she walks.] Yeah. And Amane-kun. I feel bad asking if they've seen, but... they should know.

[Well across the city, a brunette in a pink hoodie sits in stressed-out silence with the TV on the news, her laptop on YumeTube, her tablet on Yumegram, and her phone- ah.]

Already hyperventilating about it thanks dear <3
Probably heading to the DU shortly but I'll text you back
Don't do anything I wouldn't do

[-and then her phone conspicuously goes into do-not-disturb and tells Junna so.]

[She sends it even though Lisa's DND is on. She can see it later.]

I'm sorry.
Text me if you need a hug. I'll be at the DU too.
Love you.

[he jumps, then quickly;] It's not your fault! I'm sure everyone else would say the same thing. After all, how would any of us have known, right?

[no one here has premonitions (ha). There really was no way of knowing that Junna's Disturbance would have been followed up by something like this in the Waking World. It just-

Sadly;] It's just bad luck...

[nods] If you want, I can message Amane-kun and Tsukasa-kun about it. It'll be faster that way.

Y...yeah. It's bad timing, it's not... it's just coincidence. Still, that's... It's hard to not feel bad about it. [She exhales, a little shakily. She frowns for a moment -- looking down at Lisa's text. She grimaces, before she taps out a reply.]

I'll need to make sure she's okay later. Ah-- [She looks up at Keiwa, then blinks.]

Could you? That'd help.

Of course. I brought him to visit my family over Golden Week last year, and we exchanged numbers then.

[ever attentive to people's moods, Keiwa looks on in concern even as he gets ready to send a text to Amane]

... Is Lisa-san okay...? [pause, then;] Once we get an idea of how bad it is at the DU, you should probably take a short break. Just... How to say? Just a break.

[that's assuming that there's even anything for them to do. Keiwa's not so bold as to assume that a pair of civilians in the waking world could do much to assist in this media debacle]

Oh, I didn't know that! That sounds like a nice time. [It's a brief bright spot in an otherwise stressful time. Junna nods, then.] Thanks, Keiwa-san.

[Junna swallows, though, and looks down at her phone.] She's having trouble. I'm worried. I'll...

[There's a flinch. She starts to say she'll be fine. But... no, she can't keep doing that.] Right. I'll take one when we get there.

[a sheepish smile] Yeah, it seemed like a nice break after... ['after his Disturbance and surgery' is what Keiwa stops himself from saying. Instead, he takes the time to send a quick text to Amane about what's happened and that he's currently with Junna heading to the DU to see what they could do to help]

It seemed like it would be a nice break. My aunt owns a book cafe called the Milk Dipper. Since my uncle's an astronomer, it's also got his old antique telescope as a center piece in the cafe? [laughs softly] It's nothing special, but you wouldn't think that seeing how excited Amane-kun was.

[a nod...]

Hopefully Lisa-san remembers to take a minute for herself too.

I understand. [Junna nods, remembering very well that time after his Disturbance. It's hard to believe that it was a year ago. She shifts a little,as she remembers, and then she looks sideways -- and her eyes widen.]

I remember how much he liked the one at the party. That sounds like a great time. [She smiles, a little more brightly.] I'm glad he had the chance to get away.

[Then, she quiets a little. She looks down... then she nods, too.] ...I'll make sure of it. I know she's got to be taking this hard.

I'm glad his parents trusted me enough to let me take Amane to Tokyo! [a little embarrassed] But he seemed to have fun while we were there. Maybe what he needed was a change of pace.

[he looks around again, the crowds were a mix of people who were just going about their day regularly and the people who were obviously gossiping about the scandal that had just been unveiled for the public to pick apart. He nervously adjusts the strap on his backpack]

Make sure both of you remember to take a break.

I'm glad too. A change of pace seems like a good idea... [That's food for thought. But later. It's not the time with this going on.

She looks sideways at Keiwa, then she nods. Better than focusing too much on the crowds right now.] I know. I will. But... I appreciate the reminder.

It's nothing...

[there isn't much more to say while they're on the way to the DU. Not without joining in the gossip and... Well, they both know Ai on a personal level. Doing something that like, after seeing so many Disturbances - after Junna's just been through her own - seems like a terrible thing to do to someone they both admire and are friends with. Keiwa looks around a little awkwardly, before giving a nod.

His pace picks up a little, fueled in part by his own nervous energy, most likely]

Mm. [She nods and follows him, quietly. There's nothing to be done until they get to the DU.

She just has to hope Ai is okay.]

[and the DU certainly is a mess. The pretty light up tiles in at the front of the building are almost completely covered by three types of people: the reporters trying to get in to find Ai for an interview, the people trying to get front row seats to what must be? an important press event?? and the third group, the people who are gathering out of curiosity and have no actual horse in the race]

Oh... That's not good.

[pushing their way through is one option, but if people recognize Junna, then it might be more trouble than it was worth]

What should we do...?

That's... very not good. [She tenses a little. She'd had to dodge a few reporters. Not a mass of them -- and she's sure they're focused on Ai, but... they probably wouldn't hesitate to get a scoop out of her, either. That's awkward. Junna glances sideways at Keiwa, her hands balling into fists at her side.]

Maybe... is there a back entrance? Could we try going around? I've never done it before, but...

Maybe... I don't see why there wouldn't be.

[he looks around before doubling back the way they came]

It's probably a good idea to get away a bit first. The last thing the Union staff needs is someone following us... Come on.

[guess he's taking the scenic route to the back of the building, though it's hard to tell considering he walks back a block before turning the corner. Luckily for them, the commotion at the front seems to have drawn most of the foot traffic, leaving the back streets at normal volume]

Maybe if we cut through the staff parking...? Do you think there's someone at the entrance that will open it for us?

[actually, this might be important. What if they needed a staff keycard or something?!]

That's a good plan. If they recognize me, it... could get complicated. [Junna sighs, softly. This newfound celebrity (notoriety?) of hers is getting annoying. She tries to not get too anxious about it; she still feels some anxiety creeping in. She follows after Keiwa, and there's a glance over her shoulder.

They seem clear. She looks back at him, then she nods her head.] Let's try staff parking. I, ah--

[She opens her purse, fishes inside, and pulls out her ID card.] I've got a keycard. My therapist operates out of the DU. I can get us in with that.

[for all that Keiwa's usually meek and shy, he's moving around with the same sort of quiet confidence he does when he's Tycoon. Maybe because he has a goal in mind and that's helping him keep focus... More likely, it's because he's worrying about someone else and that is more important than his own nerves]

... Oh, that's useful...! Let's go then.

[and if they cut through staff parking, there will probably be security there. Their Sandglasses should be enough to confirm who they are too. Hopefully, anyway]

[It's good to see that Keiwa's got some of that confidence. It keeps Junna's up; she starts through the parking lot, with the card out, and looking at the back entrance.

They should be able to get inside. Then... see what's happening. She doesn't see any reporters around here. Maybe because it would be trespassing.]

[threats of trespassing charges seems like as good a reason as any to keep those unrelated to the DU away. Not that Keiwa's going to complain. His own nerves were ever present... If they were getting ignored for the time being because the well-being of someone else was much more important.

Keiwa goes first, and the security guard closest to the entrance looks like he was ready to stop the two of them before he seems to recognize them. With a nod, he let's the two Dreamers pass before going back to standing and making sure no reporters or nosy civilians slip past...]

... They look worried too. Maybe we got here before anyone else thought to look for a different entrance? [he looks at Junna before gesturing for her to go first. She's the one with the key card after all]

...Yeah. We might have. Dreamer Ai-Doll is -- she's famous. I'm sure they're getting slammed. Still... I don't like how they're treating it.

[She nods her thanks back at the security guard. Then, she walks up and swipes her card. There's a little chime, and the click of the door unlocking. She opens it up, holding it open for Keiwa.]

We might want to mention how we got in. In case they need to send out more security guards or cordon that area off.

No... It makes me think a bit of the fallout from Mio-san's Disturbance. Though I guess this feels way closer since Ai-san's an idol and already part of the DU.

[the face of it, even, so Keiwa can't help but wonder how many people in the crowds were Ai-Doll fans and how many were trying to gain speculation into the inner workings of the Dreamer Union itself... He's totally clueless about this sort of thing. Without an active interest in idols or even very many social media accounts, Keiwa is completely out of the loop. Maybe that's why he doesn't seem to have very many friends...

There's a quiet 'thank you' as Keiwa quickly walks past Junna into the DU building. With all the attention on the phone lines and the front doors, the back hallways are relatively quiet]

Right. [he looks, the distant sound of phones ringing and people talking filtering through the empty halls] Should we head to the lobby first? Then we can figure out what to do from there... Maybe there's a security guard we can speak to along the way too.

...Yeah. I hope Mio-san's holding up okay, after all of this.

[Junna knows she's not doing perfectly, herself. She winces, before she she keeps walking -- looking around for a moment at the empty halls. And the direction of people talking on the phone.]

Let's do the lobby. Then... see if they can put us where they need us? I'm sure someone is there.

Theater Kid's March Comes in Like a Lion

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