Event || Once Upon A Dream

[eternitymods]

Who: All characters who signed-up!
When: May 31st - June 04th
Where: The Dream Width (+ Curti Center & Airships)
What: Event log for the Once Upon A Dream Event! Should your character have their own memory, start your own top-level with said memory. If not, then tag around in other characters's memories! Furthermore, feel free to use the Mingle threads at the Curti Center and in the Airships for non-memory related CR. Please refer to the OOC Post for details and plotting. Plot Memories and the second Airship Mingle will be unlocked on May 25th.
Warnings/Notes: Memories with specific warnings will be marked as such by their players.

Please use the following form for your memory's title line:
CHARACTER'S NAME | MEMORY TITLE | WARNINGS (IF ANY)
We will add links to your memories here as the event progresses!

Mingle: Curti Center | Airships #1 | Airships #2
Plot Memories: The Dream | The Nightmare | The Premonition
Holographic Messages

Adrien Agreste | Then and Now
Aqua | Thorny Pathway | cw: spoiler for kh 0.2
Castor | Lord of the Inferno | cw: fire, mind control
Ena | Zera Hamlet, Reprise | cw: mutilated corpses
Futaba Sakura | Early Days | cw: references to verbal abuse/neglect and auditory hallucinations
Ignis Scientia | For The Life of the Chosen | cw: spoilers, violence, death
Irhya Pendhula | The Parting Glass | cw: violence, amputation
Johnny D'Amico | United Earth Prisoner
Kanji Tatsumi | You're a BOY, you know! | cw: bullying, mild homophobia
Lelouch vi Britannia | Julius Kingsley
Monika | Just Monika | cw: spoilers, possible horror, possible deletion
Nanamo Ul Namo | A Good Memory
Noctis Lucis Caelum | Light of the Crystal | cw: chapter 13 spoilers
Okuyasu Nijimura | Lending a Hand | cw: blood/injuries
Prompto Argentum | I'm not one of your experiments! | cw: episode prompto spoilers
Selphie | The Answer | cw: gore/death
Takashi 'Shiro' Shirogane | The end of the beginning | cw: end of season 2 spoilers
Tidus | A Broken Dream | cw: death, bullying

Comments

Futaba Sakura | Early Days | (cw: references to verbal abuse/neglect and auditory hallucinations)

[promiselisting]

[ The light is warm when it fades in - the air too, though perhaps not as hot as the dog days of summer. You're inside. A cafe of some sort? Though perhaps not as neat as the picture implies. The tables are clean, but don't have that customer-ready polish to them. The wall of coffee beans is only half-there. The sign on the door is still flipped to "closed." There's several boxes here and there, and on the floor above, there's the sounds of someone moving things around. Going up there will... make the environment hazier, as Futaba actually doesn't really remember what the upstairs area was like back then, but in sharp, perfect clarity is the older man working there, moving about boxes and the like. Perhaps he's in the process of getting the store set up?

Oh, and Futaba's here too. Clearly younger though - about 14, instead of the nearly-16 she is now. She's also skinnier, if such a thing were possible. And not entirely healthily so. That being said, there's still a normal amount of color to her face.

She's sitting at the table furthest towards the back, with her laptop with her, her back to the stairs and facing the door. She seems very intent on whatever she's working on, but not so intent that she doesn't stiffen up whenever a shadow passes in front of the doorway outside. Normally it's just a person walking by, and she relaxes again after a few moments, but still.

If you decide to screenwatch? She's working on a motley collection of pages. Websites of major scientific corporations. Pages on mental health. Conspiracy theories and wild rumors about parallel universes and worlds. Something called "cognitive psience." The more astute might note that she seems to be searching for something in particular, and she's not having a lot of luck. Also on the seat next to her is a mask, and should you interfere, you'll find out just how fast she can put it on.

It may not seem like there's much to the memory though. For a while things will pass like this, with Sojiro working upstairs and Futaba searching. Stay long enough though without interrupting, and she'll pause, glancing edgily at the stairs. Then she pulls something out of her pocket, fiddling with it. Those more technologically-inclined are free to notice that it's a bug - a device to record audio remotely. Still glancing at the stairs, she darts over to a corner of the counter and starts working on planting it.

The bug is barely in place though when Futaba flinches, wrapping her hands around her head, and then- there's voices.

M̵̷̢̱̞̫̱̙͚̮͙͎̭̦͎͡ͅu̶̻̻̳͓̣̙͔̼̩͈̼͞r͏҉̡̻̖̼͍̘̤̘̲̣̥͙͉̫̯͍͓͕̀d̶͏̷̢̖͔̖̣͓̱̱̦̗̠̖̣̦̀ę̵͎̖̱͖͕͕̘͉̳͢͞r̶̸̷̘̮͖̘̘̙̞̥̫̻̫͇͎͎͚̼̝͖̕͞e̸̡̞̼̦̜̝̤̪̥͎͓̞̼̘͜ͅr͞͞҉̼̻̰͓̲̭̭͉̙̩ͅ!҉̵̧̣̰̩̤̼̭̘̜͍̳̙͎͙̦̖͔̕

Y҉̴o҉u͠'͘͏̨r̷̵͠é ͡t̵̡h̡̛e͝ ̧o̶n̶̡e̡ ͞ţ̸͟ơ͢͝ ҉͏bl̛͡҉a͜҉m̵e̛͞!́̕͜

W̢hy ̕won̸'̕t ͝you ͠s͘ay some҉t̨hing͠!̡?̀

Y͟ou͜'͜҉r͡e͏ t͏h́e͏ ̴́on̡͘e ͜who͢ ҉ķ̸̪͉̖̤̥̝͍̦̞̟͚͔̞̞̕͡i͘͏͏̸͖̥͍͚̳͎̳l̸̵̶̺̣̻͇͎͇̠̭̙̭̹̗͓͙̱̺̕͘ļ̀͘҉̜̻̻̺̙̹͇̠̜̯̻̣̼̭̞̣̹ͅé̛͚̙͓̼̭͈͉͉̥̜͔̩̀̕͞ͅd̖̮̗̬͕̪͈̺̩̥͕̞͡ ̸͝͠h҉̢ȩ̀͡ŕ͟!̴̧

A cacophony, all at once, to the point where some of what they're saying is probably harder to make out. But there's no one around. There's not even a pause in the movements upstairs. The more astute can probably realize, Futaba - and thus they - are the only ones who can hear it.

Finally, it's too much and Futaba dives behind the counter, yelling- ]

Stop it!

[ The voices die off. And from upstairs, there's Sojiro's surprised voice ]

Futaba? [ It's worth noting that he's down the stairs pretty quick, looking around until he spots her, curled up with her hands over her head. He kneels down, looking concerned. ] Hey, what's wrong?

[ It takes a second before she's able to reply. ] C-can we go home?

Huh? But we've only been here an hour-

[ Futaba's head bows miserably, and Sojiro cuts himself off with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. ]

Look, we'll go home and get some lunch, but I'll need to come back in the afternoon. I still need to get this place open. [ a pause and then, with the air of someone trying his best but not really knowing if he's doing the right thing... ] I'm not mad, all right?

[ It's that last bit that honestly gets her to look up at him, biting her lip and nodding. She... she can handle that she thinks. And so her laptop's packed up in a trice, Sojiro gets his things together. Futaba puts the mask on only to earn a sigh from Sojiro- ]

Mask off when we're outside. Sometimes I almost regret getting you that thing.....

[ Which elicits an irritable grumble from Futaba in reply as she complies. And then they step out the door, the bell tinkling forlornly as the soon-to-be-opened Cafe LeBlanc is left empty. And if you haven't stepped in by now? Now's when you'll be ejected to your next memory. Better luck next time. ]

[ ooc; Feel free to interrupt the memory at any point! I've got plenty of ideas how interference could go so don't even worry about it. ]

[topgun_textiles]

[...The hell's going on? What was this? He smelled coffee and the tinge of cigarettes, but recognized nothing about this interior. He'd been in the ship a moment ago with the others, hadn't he? So how did he end up-?

His stomach sank as he turned to ask Suzette what was going on, and saw no sign of the fuzzball. No moogle? Figured. She always liked to bug out when something weird was happening. But there was Futaba, working away at a laptop. Now that was a sight for sore eyes. He could just ask her what was going on once she finished putting whatever that was on the counter-

Kanji's heart leapt when the voices seemed to fill the air, and he immediately patted himself for any sign of the iMog. He knew odd voices like that. This was giving him some bad TV world deja vu. He grit his teeth and decided to hell with the damn iMog. He had his fists, and whatever these voices were, they were freaking her out.]

A'right, that's enough! Shut the hell up and leave her alone!

[promiselisting]

[ His voice immediately sticks out compared to the others, much more solid and real. Unforunately, it may not have the effect he anticipates - she scrambles away from him with a yelp, putting her back to the corner where the fridge in the kitchen met the wall. ]

Wh-wh-who are you? How did you-

[ That's when something registers. ]

W-wait. You... you can hear them too?

[topgun_textiles]

[Frightened her. Well... he could grant her that, because he could get loud sometimes. But his face fell when she didn't recognize him. Now that he looked at her, she seemed a lot skinnier. Little shorter, too.

Was this the past? Her past? Oh god, was THIS what was gonna happen? Was this why he couldn't see anyone else?

Hoo boy. He at least hoped she wouldn't get pissed for seeing stuff like this. Seemed right now she was more surprised he heard all that. That other stuff could go on the back burner for now.]

Yeah... d'you hear that stuff a lot?

[promiselisting]

[ She's surprised enough at the whole situation that she's no longer trying to wedge herself as far into the corner as she can. Her eyes dart up to his face for a second before she looks away nervously. Eye contact isn't exactly easy for her right now. ]

Y-yeah. For a while now. [ She rubs at her face. ] Thought it was just me. That I was hallucinating or something.

[ Certainly Sojiro had never heard it. ]

[topgun_textiles]

It happens sometimes, when... uh, when there's somethin' eating at ya.

[He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. How should he put this? He settled into the booth and hunched over it. They didn't get too far into what happened when it came to Futaba's mother, which made him feel a little angry that something was happening to play all of this out. What business was it of his?]

Guilt's always the worst. Beats us up for not bein' perfect. 'Why didn't I do better?' 'Why wasn't I there to stop everything from happening?' 'Why do I suck right now?'

[He lifted his head and frowned.]

For the record, I ain't here to ask. It ain't my place. But if ya wanna talk about anything else, right down to whatever it is you were doin' before I showed up, I'm here to hang out and listen, yeah?

[conniemaheswaran]

One moment, Connie was stepping through the door to the infirmary to double-check the state of the medical supplies in case somebody came back injured. The next she was inside Leblanc, dressed in her flame retardant grease-stained work hoodie and jeans instead of her armor, bookbag at her side instead of a gunblade. Connie stares at Leblanc for a few moments, drinking the sights in, before her eyes land on Futaba.

If Connie knew any swears stronger than "heck," she would've been swearing up a blue streak internally on seeing one of her best friends on Vaikuntha trapped in a memory. But how could Connie snap her out of it? Blathering on about a world straight out of an Ultimate Saga game would probably drive Futaba even deeper into denial and make her chances of pulling her friend out of the memory more remote. She'd just have to try and establish a rapport with Futaba and exploit any holes, distortions, or logical inconsistencies.

Doing her best to smile pleasantly, Connie moves to sit down in Futaba's booth, saying, "Hey, Futaba. Mind if I sit here?"

[promiselisting]

Unfortuantely building up a rapport may end up being a bit more... difficult than Connie thinks. Upon realizing that someone else was there - the moment Connie started interacting with the memory - Futaba yelps and dives under the table. When she pops out from underneath it she's... wearing the mask, and darting over to behind the counter. Seems she really doesn't take being surprised well.

"H-h-how did you get in here? How did you know my name?" she stammers. The door read closed. Nobody should have been coming in at all and the bell would have rung if they had. And she's never seen anybody like Connie before...

[conniemaheswaran]

Whoops. Once again, Connie mentally berates herself for surprising Futaba like this. Especially since she seems far more... fragile than she is normally. "S-Sorry!" She waves her hands, blushing in embarrassment. Be cool, Connie, be cool. She could still salvage this, weird, unsettling mask or no. Recalling their conversation onboard the Ragnarok, Connie improvises. "Um, we... haven't been seeing you at school lately, and, uh, I decided to check up on you! I asked around and, erm, apparently you hang out at this cafe a lot so I came here. How... are you?" Obviously not well, but it paid to be polite.

[promiselisting]

Oh Connie you really really are trying your best but. Futaba has kept a lot under wraps about herself and thus that bluff... falls rather short, with Futaba squinting at her suspiciously. Or at least as much as one could through a mask. Because first of all, except for a few days here and there as she moved between houses, she'd still been going to middle school fairly consistently, secondly the cafe wasn't even open yet, but most of all-

"Nobody from school would be worried about me," she mumbles after a few moments silence. Well... maybe some of the staff, because her attendance would reflect upon the school and such, but. Nobody around her age.

[studdedcouncilprez]

[Makoto blinked and the world around her changed.]

[As though waking from a dream, Makoto took a step forward and was greeted with the cafe that she had come to call a second home. The air was full of the smell of Jamaican Blue and the simmering scent of curry that had an hour left to go. This was her nostalgia. Her comfort. Her sanctuary. The moment was broken when she instinctively lifted up her cell to call her sister to make sure that she was okay and to tell her all about the crazy dream of moogles and chocobos and... her absence.]

[Instead she was greeted with the blank screen of a dead phone. Without a power source in Valkutha she hadn't have access to it for almost a month now. Everything else was quick to follow: the ship, the Dream Width, her friends. The transition was so seamless and quick it reminded her of the Metaverse.]

[That thought lingered as she heard a pair of voices. She only needed to see the girl to get a sense of what was going on. Now the question remained: was that her, or was that a cognitive memory of her? Only one way to find out.]

[She approached the two.] Hello Boss. Hello Futaba. The sign said that you were open, but were you about to go somewhere?

[promiselisting]

[ Un...fortunately, there's a total lack of recognition in either face. Indeed, Futaba gives a startled yelp and dives behind Sojiro. Which in turn, mildly surprises him. Congrats Makoto, you may have helped initiate a small surprise bonding moment? In any case, Sojiro turns to look back at her, a bit nonplussed. ]

'Sorry, that must've been a mistake on my part. You'll have to come back later. We're not quite open, yet.'

[ Behind him, Futaba's voice echoes quietly ]

Not open yet!

[studdedcouncilprez]

Ah... my apologies. [She flattens her hands across the hem of her shirt, looking down the cafe.]

I hate to impose, but I was actually supposed to meet somebody here for a study session.

I'm a tutor for a middle school student, you see. This was supposed to be our first meeting. Did she not show up here? Her name was Kana.

[As soon as she said that her eyes moved to the girl hiding behind Futaba. If she was the real one that should remind her of their friendship. If she wasn't... well, she'd have to cross that bridge when she got there.]

[promiselisting]

[ That was actually a pretty sharp idea. Sojiro frowns, and is halfway to opening his mouth to reply when Futaba speaks up, voice stiff and shocked. There was no way it could be, right? ]

...Magario Kana?

[ She's peeking out from behind Sojiro a bit now. With... the mask on still, but... progress. ]

[masqueraid]

( the ring of the bell announces ren's arrival. it was just like any other day, right? it seemed like it, smelled like it even, as he pushed open leblanc's door and looked slowly from sojiro to... the masked figure at the table.

that seemed... familiar. something internally tugged at ren, a tingling of his joker-senses that he tucked away... for now.

a glare of the lights from overhead shine with a glare off of his glasses. )

I'm... not late, am I?

[promiselisting]

[ With a quick squeak, Futaba ducks behind Sojiro. Who seems a bit surprised at the action. It's very much the kind of air of two people who are still getting used to each other.

He glances up and over at Ren, a total lack of recognition in his face. It's not as harsh as their original meeting, because this time Ren's not the guy on probation, but he is the guy who spooked Futaba. Unintentionally, but still. ]

'Late? What are you- can't you read the sign? We're not open yet.'

[ Indeed, the sign on the door should read 'Closed.' Unless, y'know, Ren fixed that. Which, in retrospect, he'll probably be forgiven for since that is his job eventually. Just... not for another few months yet. ]

[masqueraid]

Ah... ( as watches futaba run for cover he does his best not to react. luckily there was sojiro to fill the silence as ren tried to piece together what exactly was happening.

he turns towards the door, before he'd walked in it had read 'closed.' maybe it was thanks to it becoming second nature to him though that now, seemingly unnoticed he'd flipped it to 'open.' )

But it says...

( there's a point of his thumb over his shoulder towards it, as he looks back to the boss.
what sort of phantom thief would he be if he didn't use this situation to his advantage? at least, until he could figure out exactly what was going on... )

and to not freak futaba out at the same time... )

Does that mean I can't order a cup of coffee?

quick ren got any hermit personas on you

[promiselisting]

[ Nice save there. Sojiro turns to the sign and is baffled that Ren's right. It doesn't occur to him that Ren himself might've flipped the sign. ]

'Huh? Could've sworn I-'

[ He sighs. If the sign said the store was open he's in the wrong here, at least in theory. He's not going to argue about it at least. ]

'Do you mind making it quick? I promised this one I'd get her home. That sound okay?'

[ The last bit seems to be aimed at Futaba herself, given how he glances over his shoulder. Slowly she nods. She... didn't really want to make a scene right now. Plus there was something... about this guy? He seemed really mild and inoffensive in a way that didn't ratchet up her anxiety as much as it normally would go. ]

Re: Futaba Sakura | Early Days | (cw: references to verbal abuse/neglect and auditory hallucinations

[kuposcreed]

[This is definitely one of the more homey places that Bonnies found her place in. And the coffee smell is so nice!

But between moogle instinct and Assassin training/emulation she keeps as close as she can to the ceiling, using the shadows and fixtures to sneak about without being noticed. She doesn't really know what's going on but she doesn't want to cause trouble if she can avoid it. Or get herself into trouble.

She observes in silence, glancing down at Futaba's computer but the words on it don't make much sense to her. It's when the girl begins to move and set the bug however that the moogle perks up. She'd seen her now and then up to this point but she'd never have taken her for a spy. But maybe that was the point. Oooh! Maybe she's an Assassin too!

But then the voices begin to shout, Bonnie nearly falling from her perch as she tries to plug her ears with her own paws. But Futaba's own cry for help stirs Bonnie to action. Tugging her hood down she narrows her little eyes and leaps down from above to land on the countertop, brandishing her knife at nothing in particular.]

You heard her! Leave her alone, kupo!

[promiselisting]

[ The voices do die off at Bonnie's shout but Futaba stumbles away and whips around, looking for her defender and uh. Uh. Uh.

Auditory hallucinations replaced by visual ones, she guesses???? Because she sure as heck has never seen anything like Bonnie before. Well, at least not at the age of 14 she hasn't. ]

Okay. Okay maybe I'm actually going crazy-

[kuposcreed]

[Bonnie looks behind her at the gawping girl. The shocked expression gives the moogle a little fluff of pride. She smiles as she holds her knife up with one paw while adjusting her hood with the other, trying to look just a little extra cool.]

Don't worry. I'm here, kupo. Whoever is bothering you will have to go through me first, kupo.

[Just ignore the slight quiver of her legs as she stands here and begins to realize the position she's placed herself in.]

[pishirogane]

[For a majority of the memory, Naoto remains the ever passive observer. She's gotten used to how many of them play out and how they are meant to be interrupted. There would be an opening, or she might have to make one herself. Still, she sits quietly elsewhere in the café, listening to the boxes being shuffled around upstairs while watching Futaba work away at her laptop and fiddle with the bug.]

[Just what does she intend to do with that?]

[She's a little more attentive at the voices, eyes narrowing at the accusations being tossed.]

And what gives you the right to say that?

[promiselisting]

[ The voices don't actually respond to Naoto, more like memories playing on repeat. Eventually some of Futaba's hallucinations ended up having more subtance, but her distortion hasn't progressed far enough yet.

Futaba who'd been just about to cry out herself, freezes. Someone else said something? Somebody could hear the voices too? And they were... they were telling the voices off? ...wait someone else was here?

The voices die off, with one last angry voice shouting about how it was all her fault. And after a few seconds, Futaba carefully, carefully peeks around the edge of the counter to look at the seating area. ]

Wh-who's there?

[pishirogane]

[Naoto could imagine what those voices were blaming Futaba for, but they could be more subtle. Also, honestly? The blame game? They didn't sound like Futaba's voice, but they could be part of her thoughts... Well, looks like she had more people to speak to about faulting others.]

[Slowly rising from her seat, Naoto looks towards Futaba.]

It sounded as though you needed the interruption...

[promiselisting]

Y-yeah. I guess.

[ Nobody ever had ever stepped up before to interrupt or stop them. Not even when the real thing had been happening. She um. She doesn't know how to actually talk to anybody about this? This is absolutely a first for her. ]

You... you heard what they were saying?