third flame 🔥 (late) May Catch-all

[olruggio]

🔥 Who: Olruggio & ANY
🔥 When: May~
🔥 Where: Around Yumemigaoka + the Slumbering City
🔥 What: May Catch-all! Also serves to help your character get some background information on the Disturbance? Maybe??



i. May 5; Kokuhaku Tea

[It's Children's Day! ... Unfortunately(?), Olruggio has no children of his own. But his partner is a Mentor for a number of young Dreamers and so Olruggio has promised to send them photos of the much talked about but never actually seen cute desserts that Japan has for this occasion.

It's a very difficult job, as you can plainly see.

Which is why he's gone into Kokuhaku Tea to purchase some of the sweet treats for the occasion and taking a few photos of said snacks before enjoying them himself]

Hmm... Glutinous rice really is a fantastic backdrop for just about anything, isn't it? Delicious!

ii. Throughout the first half of May; Slumbering City

[while Olruggio in the waking world is trying to keep a healthy work life balance, in the Dream Sphere, Torch is always at work. Ai's Disturbance didn't leave any particularly lasting scars in the Dreamscape... And based on Chaosbringer's investigation, it seems that no Disturbance has caused lasting damage. They should be grateful for the little things like this, but Torch worries nonetheless.

Between Area Zero that the Figment - Miraidon, for now - has told him about and the residual damage from last year's Anniversary, the Dream Sphere has left a great deal of danger sitting on their very doorstep]

[If you've been assigned to be in a small group patrol with him;] ... We'll just be doing a quick patrol around the city borders. To make sure there's nothing major happening that we aren't aware of.

[if he runs into you while patrolling;] Did you have a good reason for being in here today?

[if you manage to catch him off guard while he's patrolling;] Gah-?! For crying out- Don't just sneak up on people like that!

iii. Mid-Late May; at the DU

[Olruggio can be found in the Union HQ nearly daily, chasing down people with steadily increasing concern following the earthquake and the thunderstorm at the start of the month]

[prior to the hailstorm, he can be found grumbling irritably to himself and looking like death warmed over in any of the breakrooms, curled over with his pencil in hand and what looks like ever more elaborate doodles covering the pages of his sketchbook] 'This is normal', they say... Like there weren't odd accidents that heralded the last few Disturbances...

[Following the hailstorm, Olruggio can still be found frequently visiting the DU, but this time he seems more pensive. Thoughtful, even, as he examines one of the hailstone crystals in his hand] ... I was told all the previous accidents were somewhat natural in form. This doesn't look like it follows the same trend, does it...?

Comments

[hanamane]

[You swat at Hanako?? You swat at Hanako like he's a common fly???

... well, not that it seems to deter him much, as he only shifts slightly aside to give Torch some space. Still, he can't help but give the other man something of an indignant look at that question of his, brow furrowed as he glances down at him.]

Uh, excuse me, what's that supposed to mean? Just because I've seen a lot of 'em [and caused one, even--] doesn't mean I'm an expert at this sorta thing.

[And if that were the case, all the other previous Disturbees would have sense for this sort of thing too, which... are far as he knew, none of them did. It only just gave them the dubious honor of empathizing with some of the patterns within a Disturbance, not predicting when one would occur.]

I mean, if anything, you'd have better luck looking out for weird signs in the Waking World than here. Earthquakes, weather changes, weird power outages... stuff like that. [He shrugs, then adds:] But a lot of the time these things happen once the problem already takes root. Sorta like symptoms to an infection, y'know?

[olruggio]

[it's what He Deserves.]

... [this is the flattest look being levied Hanako's way] No, but the frequency you've been involved in the Night Terror battles and the Disturbances themselves should provide some unique insight that others might not have noticed.

[kids...]

From what I've gathered from various reports, it seems that whatever assailed the Anniversary event last year came out of the blue. [pause] As a foreigner, I don't even have a point of reference for what counts as 'normal' here. The last thing I want to do is to jump at shadows in the real world, thinking any odd weather pattern is the result of a Disturbance. That's hardly productive.

[man also doesn't have the energy for it. He's brushed off the comment about his eyebags, but he has no illusions: Olruggio's sleep schedule is scuffed. It didn't even take a month before he went from being diurnal to once again being mostly nocturnal. On the plus side, the timezone difference makes it so that he can video chat with Qifrey and the girls fairly easily! On the other hand... Those video calls usually result in Olruggio getting an earful about not sleeping like a normal human being]

[hanamane]

[He meets that flat look with a miffed one of his own, his arms loosening from around his back to dangle in front of him.]

Search me. I know about as much about it as Chaos guy or any of the others do, honestly. [Granted, he has fought more Night Terrors than Zeke has, not to mention created a Disturbance himself, but... something about being considered an expert at this sort of thing made him itch. It's not like he wanted to be as involved as he has with them or anything...] Anyone who's been in at least two of them could tell you the same.

[... is he dodging the fact that he caused one himself?? Probably!! But it's still a sore subject to bring up around others, even a year afterwards.

His annoyed look melts into something more pensive as he chews on what Olruggio says, however, eyes momentarily focused elsewhere.]

But... you're right about that much, at least. The weather patterns, I mean. We got some kooky storms in this part of Japan, so typhoons or blizzards aren't exactly out of the norm...

[He lapses into silence as a thought hits him, a fragment of a conversation he's had with Ai in the past, and his gaze shifts back over to Torch, curiously.]

... how much did they tell you, exactly, when you got here? Did they mention anything about the Vale disconnecting a couple of years ago?

[olruggio]

... So you noticed nothing in any particular Disturbance other than the standard "the suppressed unconscious mind made visible"? Nothing notable that stood out as odd or similar between all of them? Not even with the experience of having caused one yourself? [he read the reports!] Perhaps we should reconsider what we consider to be 'experienced' Dreamers. I saw your name on the mentor list and I can't help but worry that the Dreamers that were assigned to you might have learned some poor habits.

[he says this very scathingly, but there's a point that he's trying to make that Hanako is missing by a mile every time. Besides, mentorship is a tough job. Making a middle schooler take on the role without someone supervising seems poorly thought out. At the very least, Hanako has so far failed to prove that he's earned his 'Experienced' status to Torch.

Speaking of, the older Dreamer let's that sit for a moment before moving along]

Not much. Everything I know is based off reports made in relation to the Disturbances and what happened during last year's Anniversary. Sifting through every single report outside of those is too much for one person to go through.

[hanamane]

[... okay, WOW, Torch, tell him how you really feel, why don't you?? Even if he was being an evasive asshole about all of this, that was just...

He pauses in his hovering, looking for just a moment as if Olruggio doused him in freezing water. Something flickers across his face then, something both hurt and sick and more than a touch guilty, his round eyes shimmering with an emotion he couldn't quite put a word to. It was one thing to hear it in his head, but to have somebody actually say it to him...

Whatever micro-expressions that were playing across his face were squashed down with a tight smile, and he forces out a laugh, low and breathy.]

... boy. You sure have all the tact of a brick, huh? You don't talk to everyone who's triggered a Disturbance this way, do you? HR would have a fit.

[Granted, some of the other Disturbees probably were more willing to talk about their experiences, but... those people were probably more well-adjusted than Hanako was!! He lapses into silence as he lets it all stew, before floating on ahead of Olruggio, hands folded behind his back once again. There were theories he had wanted to share with him, but now...]

Well, that's just too bad for you then, I guess. Maybe they ought to reconsider who we call "experienced" Dreamers if they're not willing to put in the research for this sorta stuff.

[HANAKO??? ARE YOU SERIOUSLY BEING THIS PETTY RIGHT NOW???? Never mind his own tendency for research and reports weren't all that good either, so he really had no leg to stand on with that sort of retort--]

[olruggio]

[if you're going to be evasive about something, do it about information that's not noted in people's reports!!! Or be Qifrey. Don't be Qifrey]

Only the ones being evasive about topics that have public reports written about them. [basically, don't treat him like he's an idiot and he won't call you out on being an evasive little shit] Did you really learn nothing?

[if Hanako wanted to make Torch feel bad, he messed up again]

Unfortunately for you, that's a sentiment I agree with. Even if you blindly agreed to take on the role, it should have fallen to the adults around you to recognize whether you were actually ready for that title. [huff] You're still in school. The responsibility that comes with teaching someone else shouldn't be put on the shoulders of someone who are, themselves, still learning. It's an unnecessary risk for everyone involved.

[he was a prodigy and he still avoids taking a mentorship role when he can. Olruggio knows his own strengths and weakness... And he knows how overwhelming it can be when you fail to live up to your own people's lofty expectations.

In this instance though... Torch looks around during the lull in conversation, completely unphased by Hanako's sulking]

But what's this about the Vale? I take it that it's one of the stabilized areas if it's been named.

[hanamane]

[Look, Olly is only so lucky that Hanako never learned his Vulcan Nerve Pinch Forehead Poke ability from canon because then the Qifrey comparisons really would be appropriate--

His expression sours at Torch's retort, however, slouching into himself and staying stubbornly silent in response. Sure, his Disturbance was an open secret at this point-- really, the only ones who didn't know about it were those who were new or hadn't done their research-- but it's not as if it was free reign to go and talk about it. Sure, maybe he was lapsing back into the bad habits that landed him in said situation to begin with as if he ever dropped them IN GENERAL, but couldn't a guy get some more consideration about this sort of thing??

... apparently not, if Olruggio's next bludgeon to his emotional HP was any indication. Perhaps it was on Ai for being so indulgent with him, coddling him when it came to choices that most rational adults would put their foot down over, but his (very justified) logic just seemed to hit all that much harder. Not that he was going take this part sitting down, of course!]

My trainees have turned out just fine, thank you. One's even an Experienced Dreamer now herself, so clearly I'm doing something right.

[Never mind the fact that Junna triggered her own Disturbance thanks to overworking herself, something that he had failed to monitor, and the fact that Nene... well, was still Nene. At least she'd overcome her fears and finally fought a Night Terror, but her growth (or lack thereof) was a bit concerning...

There's something of a grumble on his end as Torch presses him further about the Vale, though, and he silently weighs his options. He could just leave him guessing, have him go and do his own research instead (as he clearly didn't mind reading reports!!), but...]

... it was, until it wasn't. Something made it disconnect briefly a couple years back, and it threw the other Stabilized locations out of whack, too. Weird thing is, we had months of heavy rain before that happened, but...

[He turns to face Olly with a blithe smile and a shrug, though there's something in his face that still belies the sour feelings within.]

... well! Not too uncommon for this part of Japan, right? But it does make you wonder.

[olruggio]

[unfortunately for Hanako, Torch isn't aware that Sage was one of his mentees. Fortunately for Hanako, Torch isn't aware that Sage was one of his mentees. She seemed like someone who would flourish in spite of her surroundings, so really, Hanako would just be damaging his own case once again. And, judging by the flat look Torch was sending the young boy's way, his point about needing to re-evaluate what constitutes an 'experienced' Dreamer is not mitigated by the claim that one of his trainees was now also considered Experienced.

Yeah, experienced in causing trouble, maybe.

... But Olruggio keeps that thought to himself. Hanako's gotten enough of a chewing out]

Then for the sake of your trainee, think about why you decided to become a mentor or an experienced Dreamer in the first place.

[he mulls over the information quietly. Hanako can be a salty cat as much as he wants to Torch, but the difference between an adult and a child is clear here; Olruggio's used to willful clients]

Did the Union ever figure out what caused it? I'm surprised the research department hasn't done anything about it.

[he also doesn't realize that right afterwards was the first Disturbance, but alas]