expiationlogs | (after event chill out lil mingle) let's understand it

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(after event chill out lil mingle) let's understand it

(cw depression)

(he hasn't exactly been doing great - much to the opposite. he spent the week in bed, he hasn't taken care of himself whatsoever, and he's exhausted. either way, it hardly matters how he feels, does it ever?

so. let's go. a text message arrives to everyone's charms and tablets, and it reads:)

this is, you guessed it, osamu dazai. it's been a week since that stupid maze, so here is what we have:

1. i need copious amounts of alcohol and food. i'll bring some to the beach in 30, i suggest we all do the same.
2. i'd like to hear what your experiences were. it's important for data building - we have a few detectives in this place, some smartpants, and some go-getters. we need to take advantage of our only resource, which is ourselves. meet me at the beach, or send me anonymously. i don't care about your shit per se.

see you, or don't see you.

many words that mean absolutely nothing here,
dazai.

(to those that come to the beach, they'll see several cocktail possibilities laid in front of dazai, as well as a good number of the food they serve in lupin - mixed nuts, pistachio, cheese tables, chocolate, dried figs, potato chips, chicken snacks, boiled sausage, asparagus with sauces, and dried fruit. a bonfire warms his hands in the chilly breeze of the night - this feels awfully needed.)

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[She manages to huff a laugh, opening one eye and tilting her head to confirm that yes, that voice is Yu's, before closing it again. With as small a motion as possible, she tugs his jacket in closer against her, smiling gently at the gesture.]

If I turn into a pumpkin, will you carry me to Astralin-san's farmhouse?

[Even though she's been living there for months, it's still notably "Astralin's house," instead of "her house." It probably will feel like that forever.]

So you can be with all the other pumpkins?

[Huh. He had no idea she lived out there. At least he knows where it is, now -- he's been over once or twice to help out.]

Sure. But I think we have a little time before the clock strikes.

[She hums an affirmative. Still some time before midnight, huh...? It had taken a long time to get used to the concept of no Dark Hour, especially considering how the phases of the fucking moon don't seem to change here. Still, she can't help but get tired the closer it gets to that appointed time, as if her body is hoping she'll sleep through it should it reappear.

She leans sideways and drops her head against Yu's shoulder.]

Would you still like me if I were a pumpkin? [She died long before "would you still love me if I were a worm," and she doesn't spend any time on the internet at all to be aware of it, but it's the same vibe as she smiles softly.] Are you having fun?

[To be fair, he doesn't really know what time it is at all. Midnight had long since stopped being a problem for him, anyway, although it took a long time for him to stop checking the TV... He had been looking forward to things going back to normal, once the Midnight Channel had disappeared.

... so much for that, huh?

He smiles a bit when she leans on him, draping an arm on her shoulder. Usually a Yosuke move, but Yu is sure he wouldn't mind it being borrowed.]

Mhm. [An answer to both questions.] It's nice to see everyone coming together like this. What about you? Did you wear yourself out?

Dazai-san is really good about bringing people together.

[Like, Dazai will swear up and down about how much he sucks, and how he only does something because it benefits him, and this clearly does, but-- there are other ways he could have demanded food or information. It's part of why she likes him so much.

That, and she just has bad taste in social links sometimes.]

A little bit! I like to keep busy. [It would be near-impossible to explain why she gets so tired late at night, so she'd simply prefer not to. She relaxes slightly into his hold, though, making herself just that little bit more comfortable as she leans against him.] I really like being out here on the beach, though. I never had time back home, but our school roof looked out over the water. The monorail took us over it, too. It was kinda peaceful.

[The ocean is so big, it made everything else feel small in comparison.]

I think I understand.

[He hasn't met Dazai yet, formally, but he gets that impression. Everyone talks about the guy.

Yu is quiet for a moment, listening to her talk. The beach...he agrees, and nods to show it. It's a little different for him, maybe -- it makes him think mostly of things that never happened. Promises made for the future. But he remembers visiting Gekkoukan, too.]

We didn't get to go, on our school trip. But I remember seeing it. [Even the trip has a fondness to it now that only nostalgia can bring.] I like this better, though.

[... ... ... He'd like it more if everyone else was here. But this is good, too.]

I never went to the one by the school either. One of my friends had a beach house in the south with maids that we visited once over the summer, though! It was pretty... interesting.

[A very loaded "interesting." But also she met Aigis there, so it's hard not to have fond memories of that time spent at the beach. She snuggles a little closer into Yu's shoulder to get more comfortable as she adds,] I like being here like this. We should come back in the afternoon when it's warmer and go swimming sometime.

Edited 2023-09-30 21:38 (UTC)

[Interesting. Yu chuckles softly at that. Something about the way she says it makes him wonder if their fateful stay at the Amagi Inn could be classed similarly.

As for the beach idea, he's already thinking about food options. Rice balls, karaage... Anyway -- getting carried away. He nods.]

We could invite some people and make it a whole day. [A beat. He has a feeling their level is high enough to follow up with:] ... or just us, if you want.

[Look it was nothing compared to the trip to Kyoto-

Oh? Oh! Very smooth. She sees what you've done there, Mr. Narukami. It makes her laugh a little with surprise and draws a little color to her cheeks, though it's hard to see in the evening dimness.

> Yosuke warned me about you.
> Invite everyone!
> Just the two of us sounds good.

Hmm....]

Let's do both! I hosted a beach party for my birthday a few months ago, but I think it would also be fun to do something, just the two of us.

[In short: ask her, and she will come.]

Edited (more better) 2023-10-02 00:00 (UTC)

[Both, huh? He can't hide a little smile at that.]

I agree. Maybe after we've gotten some of our energy back.

[That'll give him some time to plan something, too.]

A beach party... [Now he'll have to figure out who to invite.] Got any tips for a party-planning beginner?

[Speak for yourself bud, she's always down to social link-

But she just hums a cheerful little note. Okay! A date where they both need energy, huh...? Sounds fun!]

Food, [she answers immediately with a grin. When planning a party, the most important step is always,] Lots of food! And games. I've got some stuff back at the farmhouse we can use, and there's some volleyball stuff at the club building we can bring, too.

[Listen, she seems tired, and like didn't I hear that she got shot or something-- anyway, the maze was a lot, okay. Trauma dates are not his style.

Mhm, mhm, mhm-- he's making mental notes about this. Food is easy, games are...doable. His eyebrows lift at the last bit.]

Volleyball? That could be fun. It's been weird, going this long without school sports.

[Oh, trauma dates are the ones she's been on the most of. Hmmm... they're just built different.

She brightens a little, but doesn't lift her head to glance at him. If anything, she just snuggles closer to make herself more comfortable.]

Did you do sports? I was part of the Tennis Club, but we spent time with some of the Volleyball Club girls, too! The captain, Rio, was my Chariot.

[A sentence that would only make sense to exactly two people in this entire world, Yu and Akira.]

[Yep, he's the normal one. Going on normal dates. Being normal levels of unhinged. The usual.]

Mhm. Basketball. [She won't be able to see it, but he's got a small, fond smile on his face.] My teammates were Strength. Kou and Daisuke.

[He felt the same way when he talked to Akira, but it is really nice being able to talk about this.]

Chariot for me was my teammate, Chie.

Oh! Strength was one of my teammates in SEES, Koromaru-chan.

[That's a little bit of a strange name for a person, but don't worry, she follows it up with,] He's a dog!

[No, she doesn't explain further. It's like she just expects this to be very normal for him.]

Edited 2023-10-04 22:08 (UTC)

[Yu's expression deflates just a tiny bit, in spite of himself.]

You guys had a dog?

[Man. They had a dog, Akira had a cat... come on, Atlus, where is his cute pet team member?

(... It is not Teddie. One could not look at Teddie and see pet. That's just a step too far.)]

Uh-huh. His master worked at the shrine, but after he died, Koro-chan came to stay with us. He had a special Evoker and everything.

[Which is a little morbid, but again, Kotone says this as if this is absolutely normal, because it definitely is. Wait until she talks about her teammate Aigis, who's a robot Anti-Shadow weapon-]

I see. A dog with a Persona...

[...

That sounds pretty cool, actually.]

Your team sounds pretty interesting.

They are. I miss them a lot! I hope you get to meet them, someday.

[Maybe in the future. Apparently Mitsuru and Akihiko created some weird task force for fighting Shadows? She won't be there, but hey, maybe Yu will!

She bumps her head against his shoulder.]

Tell me about the others on your team?

[It's a question, not a command, because last time they spoke, he couldn't remember a lot of them. How's your memory tonight, buddy?]

[He squeezes her shoulder a bit.]

I hope so, too. You said one of them was a boxer, right?

[His team... he's more than happy to talk about them, now that his memory's been sorted out.]

You've met Yosuke. It was just us at first, me and him. [His tone is carefully measured. Things are still a little strange between them, and it's hard to make heads or tails of it. Ask he can do is hope they figure it out.

...]

They were all kids from my school. Most of them got pushed into the TV world. I never... [Oof, he does miss them a lot.] I never would've been able to do any of the things I did without them.

Yep! Akihiko Sanada-senpai. The Star.

[Again, another little detail for Yu alone. But oooh, deets about the Investigation Team... plus, a chance to get to hear more about him, now that things seem to be better. She tilts her head against his shoulder to try to glance up at his face -- it's not the best angle for it, but it's something, and she doesn't intend to move to get a better one.

Still, her smile is fond as she listens to him talk about his friends, eventually closing her eyes to listen to him speak and nestling her cheek against his shoulder.]

Yeah, [she agrees, voice soft but lips still curved in a little smile.] Me, either. Anything else?

[She is in real danger of falling asleep if he continues, but that's okay.]

[The Star...Teddie, for him. It always seemed fitting, somehow. They all do.

Her cheek on his shoulder feels strangely...nostalgic, in a way. He could probably talk about his friends all day -- figuratively speaking, that is, he's not that talkative. But--]

... I get the feeling we should get you home. Before you do turn into a pumpkin.

[She seems like she's on the verge of it already.]

[She whines at him, a little unsatisfied noise-- she's comfortable here! -- but he's right. Sleeping on someone's shoulder is nice while falling asleep, but sucks to wake up from. With another exaggerated groan, she forces herself upright and stretches her arms out in front of her, rounding her back, then raising them and arching her back forward with a satisfying pop!]

Fine... I'll head back.

[She bonks her head against his shoulder this time, a familiar, if silly gesture, and gives him another tired smile.]

You should keep having fun here, though. I won't become a pumpkin until I'm in bed, promise.

[He chuckles softly at the bonk, nudging her back. He'd be more than fine letting her fall asleep here, all said, but... her bed would probably be more comfy.]

You sure I can't walk you home?

[It's not that he thinks she can't handle herself, but... you know. He worries a little bit.]

The farmhouse is kind of out of the way... [she hedges, even as she rolls over to slowly push herself to her feet. It's not like she doesn't want to be walked home but-! She also doesn't want to take Yu away from spending time with others, either.] So you don't have to! You'll call me when you want to hit the beach, right?

[Either for a party, or just the two of them.]

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izanagis - 2023-10-09 21:43 (UTC) - Expand

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