week 4

[airlockedmods]

[Just like the previous week the status quo is restored with frighteningly quick efficiency. PAL still makes the morning and night time announcements through the PIP on each Champion's arm, and still the Champion unitards are freshly laundered and re-hung each morning in their closets. Even the glass roses Choromatsu and Takumi broke after the trial in their fit of anger have been replaced with fresh ones. All signs that there was anything amiss this weekend are completely gone.

There's a new floor to explore, their "reward" for a job well done.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday



[ooc: Don't forget to to turn in your AC for week 3, submit your memory regains and put in your threads for the Benefactors!]

Comments

[tacomeme]

[Takumi, at least, seems to have some understanding of what he's doing after the first shock of his memory. He pulls away so he doesn't choke Choromatsu out in his panic, clutching his head]

I-i'm sorry Choromatsu...

[shikosuki]

I-It's okay...

[ He sits himself up and wipes his eyes... huh. That sure is wet. ]

What's wrong?

[tacomeme]

I- I don't know. I had a dream that I was falling and that I hit...

[He shudders, then notices his friend as something other then a warm body to cling to]

Wait... are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?

[shikosuki]

Eh? N-No, I'm okay, I'm just...

[ wiping his eyes again ]

Crying... I guess?

[tacomeme]

[Takumi tsks and uses his sleeve to help wipe at Choromatsu's face]

Just crying huh... seems to be a thing here.

[He's kinda crying too- though it's more from pain and shock then sadness]

[shikosuki]

It's... probably because of my dream too.

...Are you going to be okay?

[tacomeme]

No.

[At least it's honest]

But I'm not dead. My... head just hurts.

You're dream... was it something bad?

[shikosuki]

...No.

I was... getting married. To a woman I fell in love with. But some stuff happened and...

She forced me away. To return to where I came from so I could have a second chance.

So I guess you could call it bittersweet.

[tacomeme]

You had a fiance?

[He wishes he could say congratulations, but it sounded like things had gone badly]

But you... have another chance?

[shikosuki]

Yeah...

[ He knows his problems and his life are nothing compared to most people here - that despite the weirdness of his life and the being an anime thing, he was painfully normal. Especially to Takumi, his life must seen like a quaint stroll in the park. And yet... ]

I'm the scum of society, Takumi. All NEETS are.

[tacomeme]

Neats? I don't know what that is, but I don't think you're scum...

[shikosuki]

[ He shakes his head. ]

N - E - E - T. It means you're not in education, employment or training. So you're jobless, still depending on your parents and not contributing to society. Where I'm from... that's the worst. The only thing worst is criminals and the homeless.

To be seen as a proper person, you have to have a job. You have to contribute to society. If you're a NEET then you're... you're just shitty. You're looked down upon.

That's what I mean by being scum. Until I'm not a NEET anymore, I'll always... be scum.

[ And he thought himself so above that before because at least he was trying... or looking like he was after a while. ]

[tacomeme]

And... she didn't want to marry you unless you had work and a life to support her?

[He frowns- he can kinda understand to a degree- though outside the nobles there was no option to live like that in Hoshido. Not out of obligation, but simply because you would starve. Even Takumi himself couldn't slack off due to his station.

So he... doesn't fully understand. But he wants to]

I'm sure you won't be like that forever, Choromatsu.

[Though he understands it's not as easy as just saying 'I'll do better'. There could be no work, there's depression and despair. There's hopelessness. Takumi himself buried that with frantic effort, but some days even moving out of bed was hard]

[shikosuki]

[ He shakes his head again, because that's not it. ]

No... that wasn't why.

She lived in a different world entirely. [ How the fuck does he even begin to explain this without getting into the "so we were swallowed by a guy we know" thing. ] It was a tribe, with a completely different society. Everyone took care of each other there and shared the work. They took me and my older brothers in and took care of us, and it was a relaxing, fulfilling life. We could have stayed there forever.

But our other brothers came during the wedding ceremony to take us home and I didn't want to go. I kept saying things like: "It's not possible for me to become a proper person. I want to but it's not possible anymore."

...That's when she made me leave. It wasn't because of who I am, it's because... I think she knew I wouldn't be happy after all. That I'd have regrets.

[ Without realizing it he's started crying again. ]

So that's what I mean... she gave me a second chance. To try again. To not be like that forever.

B-But it's just a dream, right?

[tacomeme]

She wanted to give you a chance at a better life.

[To someone else, falling in love with someone from another world would be insane to think of. But he knows of deeprealms and... well, wasn't this place similar?

He scoots over and hugs him]

I don't think so, I think if she saw that in you, then it's really there.

[shikosuki]

[ He relaxes into the hug because he's tired. He feels so tired even just recounting all that. ]

But... how can we even be sure?

That these are memories like you guys... and not just something like PAL fucking with us again...?

[tacomeme]

Honestly? I don't know. He could do just about anything to us. So I guess it's up to you what you believe.

[shikosuki]

[ He wipes his eyes again ]

What about you? You dream... the one where you were falling...

[tacomeme]

I... I don't know. Have you ever had a falling dream before? Where when you hit, you wake up? It... wasn't like that.

I didn't wake up. It just kept... kept going.

[shikosuki]

...What happened after you hit? You just laid there?

[tacomeme]

No I... got back up.

[shikosuki]

...Like a zombie?

[tacomeme]

...

[This is the point where he laughs. Says 'no of course not'

He doesn't do that, just looks away]

[shikosuki]

Wait, seriously?

[ IS IT DISTASTEFUL TO MOVE OUT OF THIS HUG NOW ]

[tacomeme]

[Takumi won't stop him, if he does. But something crosses his face, deep and wounded]

I.. don't know. Everything is a blur by that point.