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linkingup2024-09-14 11:29 pm
linkupmods) wrote in linkingup2024-09-14 11:29 pm
WEEKS 7 & 8
WEEKS 7 & 8
THE SEASONS TURN...
- Time really passes, doesn't it? Before you know it, you're halfway through the time that the goddess Braphine has promised that you'll be here, your home away from home. You are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, maybe, even through all the challenges and eventful (!) twist and turns that have followed you through your stay here. Surely there can't be anything else lurking in the wings, right?
Through the efforts of all of Braphine's chosen, the city definitely is starting to feel a little bit cheerier, in contrast to the temperatures that are starting to cool as the seasons in Sunset City turn and the leaves change their colour. The Shopping District and the Entertainment District look and feel decidedly more warm, and a quick trip into the Nekyia also show that the haze has cleared from both districts, with the Shadows lurking much fewer in number.
Further exploration will find that the haze has thinned to explorable levels in the Nekyia Fashion District - there are Shadows to be cleared, after all. Maybe if you are lucky, they might drop you a little something in reward for your efforts.
DO YOUR PART FOR CHARITY!
- On Saturday, there's a notice pinned in the lobby of the dormitory:
CHARITY EVENT FOR THE TEMPLE OF BRAPHINE
9/21
FLEA MARKET AM
FORMAL MASQUERADE BALL PM
Come and support the temple when we need it most!
Yes, you read that right: There will be a Charity Event for the Temple of Braphine, hosted by no one other than her devoted followers. They sent this over to the dorms to request the Chosens' assistance, it seems, and as the flyer says, this is an all-day event to take place on September 21st.
In the morning, there will be a Flea Market! There's a note from the hosts that they'd like the Chosens to either find a vendor to assist, provide entertainment, or participate as vendors in the Flea Market. At night, a ball will be held with live music, dinner, refreshments, and an open dance floor for all. They are not asking for your assistance with the ball, however; rather, you are automatically invited as esteemed guests and are encouraged to dress your finest for the occasion!
Given that this isn't for another week, however, it is highly encouraged that you shop around to find an outfit you'll look snazzy in for the ball. You can also start preparing merchandise to sell; or maybe, perhaps, you'd like to save that street performance for the Flea Market? Either way, you've got a long week ahead of you…
…but it won't be all rainbows and sunshine.
KEEP DREAMING.
Late into the night on Saturday, you will dream. What that dream consists of varies with each individual, but you will have one, even if you've never dreamed before. This dream could be a core memory, or perhaps about something you've always wanted, your worst fear...the list goes on.The next day, anyone who enters the Nekyia will find that, aside from the strange "Palaces" that have popped up, things aren't right yet again…but for an entirely different reason. No matter where you are, you enter the Nekyia to a hallway full of dressing rooms. It's a fairly long hallway, because venturing down it will eventually lead you to a door that has your name on it.
Why don't you journey there and find out what awaits?
–
After seeing "Sayaka" and finding your door, you'll find something even more strange.
That dream you had last night? Well, it's here. Your dream may manifest as a small, contained landscape from your dream; a creature that you may have dreamt of might be scurrying around; another version of you, different from a Shadow; or you could be unlucky and have one of your memories on full display for everyone to see.
This phenomenon will last for the next two weeks, and dreamscapes will shift with the different dreams characters have. It won't be a one and done ordeal, unfortunately…but there is, perhaps, a way you can stop it.
(OOC: Sayaka's top level is NOT time sensitive, nor is it a mod-run event. This can be treated like a regular top level to be tagged at your own pace!
Please see the "A Dream Unraveled" commission for some details on what's causing the dreamscapes to appear! Welcome to your dreamwalking/memory share event!)
WEATHER FORECAST
Temperature: hot and humid, but gradually getting cooler! Surprise showers may occur during these two weeks when you least expect it, so stay sharp and don't get drenched!
Characters who journery into the Nekyia when it is raining may find HP-restoring items dropped during combat with Shadows.
Characters who journery into the Nekyia when it is raining may find HP-restoring items dropped during combat with Shadows.
COMMISSIONS
REAL WORLD COMMISSIONS
NEKYIA COMMISSIONS
OOC
READ ME!!!!
- Welcome to your log for Weeks 7 and 8! Feel free to use this log for any developments that happen during the next two weeks. There will be no log posted next week, but a top-level for the charity event will be posted instead on next Saturday!
For plotting, please feel free to head over to this post on the OOC comm to post your plotting top levels.
For Nekyia commissions, you can assume that the Shadows will respawn until they've been beaten enough times to go back to normal.
Don't forget that the deadline for applications and character swaps is on September 28!
cw brainwashing and depersonalization
The look on the girl's face is all too familiar (though there's something about it that's off, somehow) and he struggles to cling to the last memories he had; what he was doing here, why he was doing it, and what they were doing. The two of them were going somewhere together, weren't they? Was it really just to turn her in as a defect?
...No. No, she isn't a defect. She's Sayaka, and she is fighting for herself here. She's fighting to free herself and she needed his help and—
And just like that, his eyes flash red and the sword is back in his grip in a battle stance, ready to attack.]
Do you truly think I could be swayed so easily? I have come here for a purpose, and I'll not let you take her from me!
[Fray moves with practiced ease, spurred on by the realization of who he is, what he's doing here, and the pure fury that comes with being forced to forget such vital things. (20!) His sword strikes down the manager in one clean swing, and he turns on the guards before they have a chance to react. That sword once again strikes with precision, taking out first one guard, then the other, without even coming close to scratching poor Sayaka. Fray's eyes are still burning red even as he finishes both guards off, though he extends a hand to Sayaka anyway.]
Are you hurt? Do you need me to heal you?
[He can apologize for forgetting himself and their mission in a moment, but this is more important.]
no subject
...Holy [POO POO], you showed them!
["Sayaka" sounds outright awed and impressed, and she looks to Fray and to herself--finally seeing the cracks on herself (which have sadly increased thanks to the grip of the guards--there's a few more holes with that wispy black substance coming out, and one seems to be starting to form on her face), grimacing slightly, before shaking her head.]
I don't know if you can do anything about this, but...I should be fine. Thanks. For saving us.
[For saving me, she refuses to allow herself to say. It feels weird to call herself her own being when she's just...this, right? She's not Sayaka. She doesn't want the same things, some sort of comfort or anything, right? She's not the one who's practically bonded to the man, and she stares at him for a moment before she hesitates, glancing away.]
What about you? They didn't fuck with you too hard, did they?
[Come on, let's at least get to the next set of double doors--]
no subject
[Okay, Fray, calm down—
Anyway, Sayaka is doing a little worse for the wear here, but he casts a Diarama on her anyway, even though he doubts it'll fix the cracks or mend those holes.]
I'm fine. I'm more irritated that they were able to make me question myself in the first place.
[He's done quite enough of that here, thanks!! He'd rather focus on freeing Sayaka than his own identity crisis!!
But yes, let's move on so he can stop thinking about it!!]
no subject
I'm not mad at you for what happened, and if I could've--
[As if on cue, they reach the double doors and open them, and another white flash of light overtakes their visions. Another memory.]
cw: the idol industry, panic attacks, emotional abuse, blackmail, brief violent fantasies and very mild gore fantasy (mostly blood)
It feels like a bunch of memories all at once, that connect to a bigger whole.The audition process, and the rigorous training that Sayaka makes herself endure to get a spot. At first, it's well worth it; she's brought into a group of girls that need a proper center stage girl, and Sayaka's charisma even at a young age manages to impress the managers on duty. She's but a preteen at the time, but her eyes are starry with hope for the first time in her life. Sure, her father barely pays attention when she talks about it, but he does seem happy for her. (She tries not to be too miffed when her father mispronounces her group's name so many times.)
For a while, things are good. The managers drill into her head how much she has to sell herself; she is an escape now, as the other idols were for her, for the people who need a fantasy. If Sayaka was to be the ultimate fantasy for them, then she'd play her role well as a cute and innocent girl next door; no boyfriends, no boy friends, to maintain a pure and innocent appearance no matter what. She didn't like playing this up, but she did lean a lot into her natural charm at this point--it was enough for her to make friends with her group, and some even outside of it.
The managers didn't like that last part, though. Sayaka was always careful with what she said, but the managers were already keen on taking every bit of Sayaka's time for themselves. If she didn't have time to spend with her friends outside of her group, they could isolate her. Manipulate her. Not that she realized it at first, the memories vague and uncertain of the things she heard them talking about.
It takes them calling her into the office with smiles a bit too razor sharp and explaining the scandal that one of those outside groups were trying to get Sayaka into trouble that she'd never recover from. Rumors of a boyfriend, of smoking--of having an impure image, and it sent Sayaka into a positive panic. How could someone do this to her, when she'd done nothing at all? How could they? How could they?! All she wanted was to be good, to be good and loved, and this is the repayment she gets? What would her fans, her growing fanbase think? What would her father think, if anything at all? She couldn't disappoint them, she couldn't--
The managers prey on that insecurity. They whisper that they can fix it, but that they need her unflinching help to do so. Sayaka, desperate, agrees.
The scandal is reversed onto the girl that attempted start the rumor in the first place, and her whole group's career is ruined. Sayaka feels sick to her stomach, wanting to dismiss herself, but her managers oh-so gently remind her she has a handshake event to attend to, and oh, she can't be late! So she stuffs her feelings down and gets back to being everyone's smiling, beloved idol. No matter how much pressure they put on her, no matter how much she asks to have some space, they invalidate it as easily as breathing and all but ensure that her every waking hour that isn't spent at home is at the agency building--or monitored by one of the managers. Privacy and choices are no longer hers, at this point, or at the very least they're very minimal, and that's not even considering tabloid writers...
It gets easier as time goes on. Easier to isolate Sayaka, to manipulate her and her group--Ayaka, their strong leader, helping to coordinate everything. Satomi, bubbly and ditzy and with an ear to the ground. Harumi, elegant and levelheaded in all circumstances. And Kanako, who played a role as cute and clumsy, but also very calculated and good with distractions. The managers knew that Sayaka was the group's heart, always keeping them together and offering her gentle, easy words to help soothe tensions and keep them on task.
Fourteen other girls fall victim to this game before Sayaka finally puts several pieces together. About information that she didn't even speak of--that no one would know besides her managers gets used against her, and she finally confronts them about it.
For a moment, it seems like she has the upper hand. That she has power over the situation, using her analytical abilities to scrutinize them and poke holes right into their stories, until she's got them admitting with clammy hands that they orchestrated all of this. That they did it.
But then the managers gazes all turn sharp like razors, and they ask Sayaka what she can actually do about it. At the end of it all, she's the one who came grovelling to them for a dream, right? And it's not like anyone would believe her over this multi-million dollar company. Even her own groupmates would turn against her in a heartbeat at their say-so, and try as Sayaka might to convince herself that it wouldn't be the case...she finds she can't truly believe it, because she knows those girls better than anyone.
They're all masks. Precious, masked friends of Sayaka, but masks nonetheless. They remind her of what she'll have left if she tries this, and they even bring out recorded, manipulated messages and screenshots--stuff that they could use against Sayaka to completely ruin her, and it stops her cold.
...It stops her cold and briefly, she imagines lifting the chair up and starting to just beat these people to death. She shakes, bunching her skirt at the thought of killing them, of making them pay for what they've done, at a room filled with nothing but red and the bodies themselves tastefully unseen in the vision, but the catharsis clear.
She's back in the cold reality afterward, staring at her managers, who all smile too easily. They know she's trapped, and she knows she's trapped too. All she can do is bow her head as deep as it will go, put a smile back on her face, and apologize until they've decided they're satisfied and let her go.
Back into the cold reality of knowing she's alone, and knowing that she can't have any connections with anyone now.
[The next hallway is dark, though strangely enough, there's nobody here this time. It seems...dark, almost--a red hallway, the lights barely working, and doors with faceplates you've never seen before. The air is hostile, uneasy, and deeply unnerving, though thankfully the pervasive mind alteration isn't here this time. Maybe Fray scared it for good.
Unlike before, however, you can see the names and faces clear as day of the people who should live here, but the rest of the school is gated off--you can make out what should be a bright, white area in the distance, but you appear to have been walled off to the dorm rooms for now.
Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy.
Furthermore--"Sayaka" isn't with you at the moment. Do you want to start by checking doors?]
no subject
How frustrating it must have been. How lonely. He can feel her rage and anguish as if it were his own, and it's hard to return to himself after the memory loosens its grip on him. He's left with a strange, unfamiliar hallway lined with doors. And Sayaka is missing, which is his first worry.
Fray's weapon is still out, and he approaches those doors preparing for a fight. Is there one with Sayaka's name on it?]
no subject
Oddly enough, the nameplate for the room seems...loose? Like it was recently replaced, or...perhaps even swapped with someone else's.
As of right now, though, there's a pouring, wispy darkness that comes out from underneath the door. You can faintly hear someone breathing, though...it sounds more like they're wheezing, at this point.
Do you wish to enter? The door is unlocked...for better or for worse.]
no subject
Fray doesn't hesitate, he pushes the door in and readies his sword, just in case. He sincerely hopes this isn't what he thinks it'll be, but... Is Sayaka in here, or is he going to have to go check the bathroom...?]
1/2
2/2, artistic gore cw???
...Or, well. More accurately, someone makes a very good attempt at it (10), barely missing him.
It's Sayaka. "Sayaka"? It barely resembles the girl you know--the creature still has that poofy pink dress, but it's covered in blood, blood that runs down the front of her body as the knife protrudes horribly out of her. Her body has shattered a few places, big holes opened on her arms and one of her arms wholesale being turned into a blade that she uses to support herself. A blade that's bright red, and Fray can likely barely make out the redhead in the background who lays on the ground dead.
Her face has crakced pretty significantly, eyes bright yellow with a sickly, horrible glow to them. She stares at Fray, she stares through him, and half of her face is normal while the other half has some of the barely contained shadowy energy. And somehow, the light from that eye glows even brighter.]
...
I am a Shadow, the true self. This was...inevitable.
[The tone Sayaka says this with is echoy, reverbing throughout the room. It's hard to tell if it's truly her or whatever this place has done, but she points her bladed arm at him with a blank, wide-eyed expression that betrays nothing.]
Inevitable. Inevitable as always. I'm...going to kill you.
[...And despite it all, there's something small that Fray may be able to make out if he strains his ears.
A familiar, soft voice--calling out for help that seems to reverberate under the words of the shadow. As she hesitates.]
...I'll make this quick.
no subject
Sayaka is in there. And if Sayaka is in there, he doesn't want to risk hurting her. This is the sort of thing that should be a battle, one he would fight tooth and nail for in order to drag her out, but...]
Sayaka, I know you can hear me. Both of you.
[The girl with the yellow eyes and the trapped girl within. Both of them.]
Is this truly what you want? What will killing me accomplish? Will it give you what you need to free yourself?
[He doesn't think it will. Though his grip on his blade is tight and he hates the very idea of what he's about to do... Fray sheathes it. If she wants to fight him, then she'll have no resistance. After all, how could he hurt her, when she's already been through so much?]
Let me help you, Sayaka. I don't want to fight you; I don't want to hurt you like so many others have.
[And then, just like before by the docks, he holds out his arms and awaits her reaction. It's taking a big risk, and one he doesn't like at all, but he's counting on Sayaka - either of them, both of them - remembering and wanting to put a stop to this.]
no subject
Thankfully, that soft voice breaks through a little bit--the shadow's eyes don't flicker, not like Yoon's did. But even so, his words do manage to make her hesitate (12) briefly.
He asks if this is really want she wants. What they want. What those splintered emotions, the ones she's bottled down and refused to acknowledge for so many years wants, and they want so much.]
...I want to hurt. I...want someone. To hurt like me. To hurt like I have, for so many years. Someone needs to pay. Someone needs to understand it. I'm so tired of hurting. I'm tired of being hurt. If I hurt them before they hurt me...then I'll be safe. Nobody will hurt me again.
[The words come out monotone, but even still, it takes all of her will to hold herself back. He can likely see it in how she struggles to keep herself at bay.]
Who am I, really? A broken little girl? A broken doll of an idol with one hundred million strings controlling my life and movements? Perhaps...I'm more akin to a witch. Yes. One that would manipulate and destroy all that's in her way.
Maybe after this...I'll finally be as evil as I've always known I am.
[It's the sheathing of the weapon and the open arms that see her eyes widen, briefly, and it makes her practically tremble.
She's evil. She doesn't deserve or want this. She'll get reprimanded, an evil person doesn't deserve this kindness, this comfort, this broken doll deserves to be slain and discarded--
Come on...come on, please. Listen to him. Listen to him, please--]
...Why? Why aren't you attacking me? I'm not good. I'm...not...I don't deserve...this...
[It comes choked out, shadowy wisp pouring out of her eyes like a mimic of tears.]
no subject
[If I hurt them, maybe he'll listen. Maybe he'll take me seriously. Maybe he'll understand. It's for his own good.
Hadn't he thought that in preparation for his confrontation with V'rhas? He'd wanted to lash out, to hurt the people who had used V'rhas. This is the same. A desperate person, angry and hurt and looking for a reason to strike.
He understands. Maybe he hasn't fully seen what she's been through and how she's been hurt, but he's seen enough to understand that pain and frustration and that desperation to push others away, so she can't be hurt again.
Fray doesn't budge, though. He keeps his arms held out, waiting patiently.]
Why do you have to be good, Sayaka? Why do you have to "deserve" something I am willingly giving you? You've suffered enough. You don't have to fight anymore.
I am not a "good" person either. I too chose to lash out at others to protect myself and V'rhas. And yet it is only here and now, with distance from my actions, can I acknowledge I was wrong.
I have decided that you deserve the comfort and affection I can give you. You will not be able to change my mind.
[The last part is a little lighter, though definitely not a joke. He means every word of it; Sayaka has more than earned his friendship and devotion.]
no subject
...Or it doesn't make sense.
[She's spent her whole life trying to rationalize everything that's happened to her. She's spent her whole life trying to make sense of it all, because the concept of bad things happening to good people has never made sense to her. It's all supposed to balance out. It's all supposed to make sense, it's--
Sayaka attempts to rush him down again (16).
But a bright white light covers the room, first.]
cw: neglect, a rather nasty fight, suicide adjacent cw
"Dad, will you please listen to me! I'm not saying that you have to give up your job, but you've been letting it use you so much, it's--""This job has been my whole life's work, Sayaka!"
"I know it is, but there has to be better out there! I have money now, we could get out of this place and go somewhere else--"
"To where?! Where can you even go that your actual fathers would allow?"
There's a very notable pause when Sayaka hears that, and it's barely reflected in the mirror behind her--the one where she and her faceless father argue in, and she seems like she's been practically struck in the face.
"Wh...what...?"
"You haven't needed me in years. Why are you so insistent upon it now?" Her father's tone is unflinching, though he seems to shake with a white knuckled, barely held back anger. Maybe even sorrow. "They've been perfectly capable of taking care of you and picking up where I've failed. Are you happy? I can acknowledge that I've been a failure of a father to you, Sayaka, and you know what? I'm sorry. I took on all of these hours in the first place because of you, and--"
Sayaka doesn't hear anymore of the words he says. It's like a pervasive static that threatens to deafen her to the world, and it strikes all at once.
It's her fault. It's her fault that her father has worked himself to the bone like this. If she wasn't around, where would her father be? Would her mother still be with him, even?
She doesn't respond. Her father tries to reach her, because somewhere in this he's realized he's absolutely screwed up, and Sayaka walks away and slams the door shut behind her.
She doesn't cry. She literally can't at this point. Her emotions are so broken that she literally can't do anything but smile brokenly, her smile showing up vaguely in a vanity mirror in her pink room.
There's a letter at her desk that she grabs. One addressed to her, from Hope's Peak Academy. A place where humanity's brightest are scouted. A place where you're assured success if you graduate, no matter what.
...
The next night, she's making arrangements and packing her bags.
[...The shadow's attack doesn't connect.
Through all of the messy, painful feelings, when Fray finally comes to, he can see that the arm blade has basically shattered. The shadow barely even has an arm left.
But the one that is left hugs him so tightly, and sobs into him wretchedly like she did that night before.]
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm...I'm...!
no subject
And then she's hugging him tightly, and it can't be comfortable this time either, because he's still wearing the armor, but he hugs back just as fiercely.]
You needn't apologize, Sayaka. I know you were fighting it. I know you were trying to stop it.
[His voice still isn't exactly soothing, but he's doing his best. Fray's careful with his gauntlets so he doesn't risk hurting her any further, but his grip is tight.]
You won't be alone again. I'm here for you, and I'm not going anywhere.
1/2
The body goes away. The stains, the marks--all of it dissipates, and for a brief moment, the room goes back to a semblance of normal. "Sayaka's" grip is still tight on him, but...
There's a sharp crack. There's not much time left.]
...I'm sorry I hurt you. [Her voice is so small, so tired, and her grip starts to slacken a bit.] All of these feelings, I've let them bottle up for so...so long. They've been so volatile. And I...
I still don't know what I want, at the end of it all. But thank you. Thank you, for not leaving me alone.
...Good night, Fray. I love you.
[And with an utterance that sounds almost familial, an uttering of something she's wanted to say and mean it--something she's wanted to hear for years--the shadow's body shatters all at once.]
2/2
...Well, maybe nothing visible, but...
When Fray steps out of the room, he can see a faint pink orb go into the room of one Makoto Naegi.
Perhaps you should follow...?]
no subject
[It's too late. She's gone. Fray lingers for a long moment, hands grasping nothing. Some part of him knows this isn't the "real" Sayaka, but even so... Even so it hurts, like he's truly lost her and that this isn't some kind of bizarre dreamscape that will eventually fade.
But he doesn't wake up.
He's remained in this room for long enough and it would seem that his time here isn't done yet. So Fray exits the room, looking for any sign of... hells, he doesn't know. Any sign to point him anywhere. He's feeling so much that he'd just like to get back under control—
And then he sees that pink orb. There's no hesitation, he goes for the door immediately. Is it unlocked?]
no subject
Hers.
Well, sort of. There's still an exceeding amount of pink in here, and the busy streets of Tokyo below are visible, but it's a time both of you are familiar with. The early morning sun rises, brightening the room very slightly, and while Sayaka isn't here, there's much to see.
Her vanity is perfect and maintained, along with her bed being perfectly made. But what's likely surprising are the dolls sitting and gently propped up on her bed...
Including one of you, Fray. The little pink orb floats towards it, as if gesturing him to come closer. Will you?]
no subject
He follows the pink orb toward the dolls, kneeling down to get a better look at them. A Fray doll... Is he in his armor? Who are the other dolls, are any of them familiar faces?]
no subject
But you know, it's funny. Fray isn't in armor--he seems to have been given an entirely new outfit, something almost gothic in nature. As for who wears his armor...
...Well, there's a plush sitting at the vanity with some distinct blue hair that may have in fact stolen it.
"Negative emotions like hatred and frustration and fear, things that could hold one back but instead give us strength when we know how to wield them. It is not an easy path to tread, but it is the one I have chosen."
Woah...that's incredible. People can really do that? Harness those emotions, those horrible things, and use them for good?
"You sound like a very strong person, Fray-san. It really is to be admired."
I wonder...maybe if I learned something similar, could I be just like him? Could I learn how to do that, and inspire people? Maybe if I try really hard, I can manage it. Even if it'd be odd, and strange...
Huh. Isn't this a familiar conversation? But with some...added context. It's strangely light and bright, and that pink orb floats by Fray as some thoughts continue.
The comfort she felt, letting him be the first to know that she had been trapped in that school. (He...he believed me, he...actually believed in me...) When he confronted her down in Nekyia, when she snuck off by herself. (He'd really want to train...me? I better not disappoint him..) The comfort after she spilled her thoughts out on that network post. (I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to see that. But thank you...thank you, for hearing me. Thank you for seeing me.) The battles they've fought, the determination flowing through them, the sheer joy of it all. (I won't lose. I can't lose--I'm not going to let something happen to him, or any of the rest!)
Even some more casual thoughts, simple ones, but...significant.
(I hope he's okay with this. With me doing things for him. Fray does so much and takes so little time for himself...I should do something nice for him. He's struggling to find himself, so maybe some nice clothes? Or maybe something nice to eat, that I can bring back for him...
I know Fray will find himself. I believe in it, so much. Even if I'm afraid of losing him, he's always stood by my side. I...want to do the same for him. I'm still trying to find myself, so maybe...maybe I can help him down the path, too, and help him find happiness. Because he's as human as the rest of us, and he deserves it. I want to see him smile.
...I wonder. Would he ever let me walk the same path as him? I want to protect. I want to reach out to the world, a shield in hand to protect those dear--and a sword as well, to protect myself and others. To harness all of this negativity and use it for something good...
Would he be proud of me?)
...The pink orb gently floats around the room, the soft, dawning light growing just the slightest hint brighter.
It's okay, you know. If you need to rest. If you need to cry.
Whatever it is you need to do, I'll be here. And you'll wake perfectly on time, so...please, take as much time as you need to. This space was mine, once, and I offer it to you gladly.
So...take your time if you want, okay?
It's not even necessarily a voice. It's a suggestion, gentle and kind, though one could attribute a voice to it if wanted. But if little else, it's an invitation, and one he can take if he needs it.]
no subject
The words that echo in his head are very familiar, but with the added context of Sayaka's side of things. He wonders if he should be hearing this... but then, it would seem that Sayaka herself invited him in, so perhaps these are things she wanted him to know.
After all, it makes sense. The other Sayaka was frustrated that he wanted to protect her - and seeing this now, he can understand why. Sayaka admires him, wants to be like him, and she can't do that if he doesn't allow her the space to grow and learn, to become a Dark Knight like himself. Such a thing is immensely flattering; the path of a Dark Knight is hardly an easy one, but for Sayaka to want to pursue it, to protect others as Fray does, means the world to him.
His fingers brush over the little Sayaka doll's head and he turns his attention to the pink orb.]
...Thank you. For showing me this... for trusting me, and for your unwavering support. I have a much better understanding now, and if this is the path you seek to walk, then I would be honored to guide you.
[Perhaps these are words he'll need to say to her again, depending on just how much of this they remember when they wake. Regardless, it doesn't hurt to say them now.]
You've come so far since we first met, Sayaka. I couldn't be more proud to see the woman you've become.
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Think nothing of it. You've worked so hard to reach out to me, even when I didn't understand it. The world had taught me that nobody reaches out a hand without expecting something in return, but that's only a small part of this beautiful world that we live in, isn't it?
I'm not afraid of it anymore. Of you, or anyone else. There's no motive behind anything you all do, and I've never felt so free. I've never felt so much warmth, though I always reached for it. Fearing it and craving it all the same, like it would burn me to cinders if I took it selfishly.
...Thank you, for being proud of me. For caring for me like no one else has.
The pink orb stops in it's floating for a moment, before rushing off to the vanity--it carries that little, armored Sayaka doll back onto the bed, placing it with the other dolls. No longer alone or separated off, but together with them all.
The pink orb itself practically flies into Fray, seemingly disappearing, but he'll feel a presence like warm arms around him. Undaunted by armor, perhaps even ignoring it as it hugs him warmly and kindly.
I hope that one day, I can say everything I have in the waking world. Because you are precious to me. All of you are.
...But I think it's time to wake up.
I'll see you soon, okay?
Love you, nii-san.
The dream will fade into beautiful, warm white light.]