linkingup | a winter labyrinth

[Continuing down the right path, Schneider and Shalem walk for quite a while, but then the ceiling of the hallway begins to raise as the path gets wider, until they find themselves inside... a church. It's a small, quaint church, well-taken care of but for a smaller community.

There is a small book of hymns on one of the pews.]

[A Lateran church? Hello?? Why do people pray to The Law on Earth... There had better not be Sankta there of that would be messed up.

Well, he's going to go pick that book up.]

... fucking churches, again.

[ s a l t y. She looks over]

A book of hymns?

Indeed. Haruka is a musician, perhaps it contains a clue.

[But what would he see? Especially now that he's picking it up.]

I swear to fucking hell, if I have to sing that shit one more time...

[ Alright let's see what hell this will unleash]

Unless both of us are required to do so, I'm content with singing by myself.

[Touching the book makes the world go warm and hazy, like a fond memory.

You bow politely to the pastor, who smiles brightly in return.

"Thanks for stopping by today and helping out the choir, Haru-chan."

"It's nothing!" Your voice is high and bright—you're still so young, after all. You wave goodbye to the pastor, getting ready to go home and see what your grandmother has made for lunch. You don't really get all that much from the speeches the pastor makes, but this gives you an excuse to sing and learn a bit of music.

Before you leave, though, an unfamiliar man catches your eye. You bow politely to you as well, and the man inclines his head in return. You haven't seen him around, so you wonder why he's there, but before you can ask he's speaking.

"You did well with that solo," he says, looking down at you. "Do you sing often?"

"Oh, all the time! As much as I can."

"Is that so... I thought you seemed like someone with potential." He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a card. "I train idols. Are your parents here?"

You can't help but be curious—does he mean you have the potential to be an idol? It's not something you've really thought about, even though you do enjoy singing... but more importantly than that is the mention of your parents.

"I don't have any! They died a while ago, so it's just me and my grandma, but she doesn't always like making the walk over here."

The man seems startled, in the way adults sometimes are when you mention your parents have passed, thrown for a loop, but he recovers.

"...Well, if you come with me to train, I could be your new father."

A father...?

You can't help but think of your grandmother, complaining when the roof leaks when it rains. If her no-good son hadn't died, it could have been fixed by now. You think of how tired she seems sometimes, and of the kids in your class talking about their dads.

If you had a father, then everyone would be so much happier. Right...? That's all you want, to make them happy.

The memory fades away, but a vague sense of yearning lingers a bit longer than the image of the man and the church, leaving them in a blank hall.

Schneider will find the man in that memory familiar, though the eyes she had seen him through were older.]

[Well! They didn't need to sing at all... Maybe.

But Shalem shakes his head, even if he keeps clutching the book. Haruka was adopted-- he never mentioned as such. But now Shalem knows. It wouldn't change anything, but he's sure it will serve as important context soon.

But... what now?]

...that man... I've seen him before.

[ She shakes her head, frowning. She already has an idea of what this 'idol' industry involves; it reminds her of the scumbag men trying to coax pretty clueless girls into becoming actresses. Hah]

[He tilts his head towards her, as if to say "go on". Perhaps she'd seen a memory from when the Dream King still lived... And her expression implies it's not a good one.]

He was older though in the dream I saw.

[Frowning a little, as she looks around. Is there anywhere else for them to go?]

I suppose this is how they met.

[Dangit, no hot dream goss for him. He'll just have to extract the answer from Haruka himself later.]

This was clearly the beginning of his career... So, yes. It seems so. [Clutching the book of hymns to his chest, he shakes his head.

There's nothing more to see here, so he looks around for an exit, too.]

[There's forward, of course, onwards through the maze while snippets of an old conversation float by.

"Listen to me, Haruka. Even if the audience reacts positively to you, you mustn't let it move your heart. Even if they get happy, you mustn't get happy. Even if they get sad, you mustn't get sad. Even if they love you, you can't love them."

But... isn't it an idol's job to make people happy?

"Yes. But there's no need for those feelings to be mutual. It's fine if the audience is like a medicine to you, but once they turn to poison they'll like kill you."

Does that really happen...? Do fans really turn into poison...?

...

"The love, expectations, scorn, and disappointment of so many people is a devastatingly powerful experience. The more you want fans to love you, the more it hurts and crushes you when they don't. The more your fans expect of you, the harder it will be to stand when you betray those expectations. That's why you shouldn't feel anything.

"The happier you feel, the deeper you will fall into despair once that happiness is gone. That kind of pain is enough to change your life and who you are completely."

Okay. You understand, you'll do your best to not be moved by others, you'll be the kind of idol he wants—

...

But...

What... happened to making me your son...?

There's a fork in the hallway. They can choose to go left or right. There's the sound of music to the right, while the left is silent.]

...

[ Schneider's brow furrows and she folds her arms across her chest. Well, it's not bad advice. But for a child...]

Which way? Follow the music or go where it's quiet?

I think... music. Haruka has always loved it, after all.

[In this, he and Haruka are similar. Perhaps it's appropriate that they found each other.]

If you know that, it could be a trap.

[ Shalem seems to know Haruka well. Following the music then]

He has always been a brat, so I'm prepared for him to pull a fast one over us simply because his mind is like that.

[But he does cast a few Rakukajas on both of them just in case.]

[ Oh, hello. Thank you sir]

You're sounding like an old man now.

That's not the first time I've heard that among Braphine's chosen. Given how many are still children or younger adults, yes, I am old. Even if by my own homeland's standards, I am still quite young.

[Following the music, you head deeper into the heart of the labyrinth, more echoes of the past following you.

"To tell you the truth, you're a disappointment."

Fear and panic build up in you, shock hitting you.

"That was a lie. I have great expectations for you, Haruka."

And then it fades, though that relief... doesn't last long.

You're seventeen, now. You're fluent in English and you've already become a star, already been on stage performing in musicals. All you want is to make Kujou proud, to make him and your grandmother happy. All you want is to be wanted, for people to be glad you exist.

Have you managed to become the ideal idol...?

"No, and I doubt you ever will. I used the wrong methods... The audience will never be moved, no matter how amazing you are, because you feel nothing for the audience."

...What? But you did everything right, you did everything he said to do, and even if he apologizes for raising you wrong, you don't understand. Has everything up until then been a lie? None of your protests, none of your questions, even get acknowledged because you realize, now, that you never actually mattered.

"Will you head back to Japan? You can continue your lessons, but you'll never succeed. It's best to quit while you're ahead."

"I don't want to look at a failure like you any longer."

"Idols who feel nothing for their audience are such a twisted, sad, irritating thing."

"I thought you were no good, and it seems I was right. Tenn really is the only idol for me."

All along, he had already had a son. A son you would never surpass. What was... the point of all this?

You don't know. All you know is that you're going to get back at him.

...

And that's when the snare trap goes off, catching both Schneider and Shalem, pulling them upwards and dangling them upside down from the ceiling.]

Hm. Like some arcanists then.

[ Schneider is distracted by the rest of the memory but doesn't get to dwell on it before SNAP hanging by a snare]

...so you called blue boy a brat, right?

[Shalem doesn't really care for the snare trap because it could have been worse-- like a bear trap. So he just sighs and starts wriggling to get free (10). If only his tail could draw his katana but this is an awkward angle.]

He is a brat, and I have called him as such, so he knows it.

[ Schneider just stays still, still swaddled by the coat (4). She really should put herself the right way up though...]

Interesting choice of words, all things considered. [ is this what you call cradle robbing?? Schneider does not know or care]

But I can see why now.

Edited 2024-10-13 04:24 (UTC)

[Guess who finally remembers he has a Persona? His escape is delayed because of his garbage rolls on sign-up (3)... But he summons Orpheus, who shoots an Agi at the rope keeping him suspended.

And he flops onto the ground, hard. Ow. Okay.

Sorry, Schneider, he won't be responding to that comment because he's busy blinking the stars out of his eyes.]

[Oh. Hm. Schneider swings herself up to cut the rope with a pocket knife she keeps hidden but unfortunately, her extra long sleeves get in her way (9). Oops. She doesn't grab the rope in time and falls

Right onto Shalem's stomach. Enjoy the tiny 5'3" missile...at least she's fairly light]

Ooph!

Edited 2024-10-13 04:36 (UTC)

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