Fairy ''fun'' [It was a normal day, the same as any other. Naoto was up bright and early, heading to the bookstore she'd worked in since she'd been old enough to work. When she'd been younger she'd been busy all the time. She could do her work and read books the rest of the day. But as she'd gotten older she'd devoured most of the books she wanted to read.
So she'd gotten another job, one she could do while also minding the shop.
And so, Naoto could be found sat at a desk positioned so she could see the door as she tinkered away. An array of small screwdrivers and tools as she repaired pocketwatches. Cleaning the insides, replacing broken parts.
Or she had been. Others in the room might have noticed the small fairy slowly sneaking across the desk getting ready to do something. Or a few others high on a shelf holding a garish scarf. One of them would do something, they were just waiting for the perfect moment.]
Smashing [Calling her scawny might have been an understatement. There was no denying that she was short and though she loathed to admit it, Naoto wasn't particularly strong. Which meant she was having some trouble with the geode she'd acquired.
In the end she'd settled at a bench. Taking her pouch of tools out and finding....something that shouldn't have been there. Naoto wasn't even sure what it was, the disk-like object?
Then she winced, her grasp on it tightening and... it'd started blinking? Small red and blue lights that continuously flashed. Not that Naoto was paying attention to that. She was too busy gritting her teeth.]
What was that...an eye?
[She inhaled through her teeth. But what kind of creature could have an eye so large?]
Wildcard {{Anything else? Just let me know. Naoto's AU backstory is pretty plain. Though compared to her normal life, anything is plain... But she was raised in an orphanage, that nerdy, smarmy kid and now works in a bookstore. Very much that book snob who needs shoving in a locker.}}
[Naoto doesn't seem to be holding anything that he can see-- but she's got her little toolkit out, so what does he know? He'd come up from behind the bench, stooping down low to look over Naoto's shoulder while she clutched something tight, expression almost-- pained?
When she relaxes, he straightens up again, an eyebrow raised.]
You seeing shit now?
[also hello how are you doing. He uses those ridiculously long legs to step over the back of the bench and onto the seat, and then down again onto the ground, just to flop back onto the bench seat next to her, hands stuck in his pocket the whole time.]
[She was hardly relaxing. His voice nearly made her jump out of her skin. For a second she was reaching for the toolkit, a screwdriver as she scowled up at him. The badge still clutched in her other hand.
Naoto almost growled when she realised who it was. It'd been a long time, a few years. He'd left the orphanage before her.]
No! I...I... [She growled again, ducking her head. She already had a headache.] It's nothing...
[She just watched him and his freakish legs going over the bench. Staring at him even if she didn't look him in the eye.]
....Clearly not nothing if you're this shit at lying about it.
[He folds his arms casually over his chest, bringing up one leg to rest the ankle on the opposite knee, clearly getting comfortable. Sorry, Naoto! Something is clearly Up.]
What'd you see?
[He won't look over to her, though- might as well give her the illusion of distance. So he keeps his gaze straight ahead, watching others mill about and generally just living their life in their perfect little town.]
[She was still scowling, huffing as she turned away fully. Choosing to stare at a nearby bush instead.
Naoto kept the silence up for a good minute. Then sighed.]
I'm not too sure. It was... A metal eyeball of sorts, embedded into the ground...
[She was wincing. She knew how little sense that made, how vague the description was. But how exactly did one describe something so bizarre? Naoto tried to be objective, describing something like that was...Urg. ]
[His head tips slightly, considering that-- and eyes slide over to look at the ground, as though ready to see an eyeball staring up at him like a weird, freaky prank. But-- nope. There's nothing.
While he'd never exactly been close to Naoto, he's aware that she's not exactly the type for fanciful daydreaming or getting reality and fantasy mixed up. Then again...]
...And you've been sleeping, right?
[Because he could absolutely imagine her staring up way too late into the night working on some project or another and-- maybe dozing? Still a little unlike Naoto. But hey.]
[If it was in the ground here, they wouldn't be standing. The one she'd seen had been so large, bigger than some buildings. And it was moving...
Her scowl got less severe as she took a breath. Then exhaled.]
About as well as I normally do.
[Which admittedly, wasn't much. She was up early in the morning and didn't go bed until later in the evening. She'd struggle to get to sleep, feeling so listless most of the time. It'd gotten worse the last few days.
But she didn't think it was that. It wasn't as though she'd gone without sleep before.]
I don't know, it looked like it was in a crater... Like it'd fallen [She just looked at the sky at that.]
[Naoto hadn't even cared about the potential prizes. Though the 'free' coffee was a bonus, she'd been more interested in looking at the composition of the minerals.
Granted all thoughts of that had left her brain. Her body jerked at the voice and dropped the badge she'd been clutching. It quickly vanished into the grass as she focused on him. Her nose scrunched at him.]
I'm not hallucinating. [She wasn't.She really wasn't...Was she? Nah. Nothing to be concerned about classmate.
[Great, he'd heard that much. A part of her wanted to dismiss it, keep denying. But there was something unerving about that kaleidoscope of colours, peering out of the fog. It felt significant.
But she couldn't place why.
Eventually, she sighed. Breaking her gaze from him. Deflating.]
It... It was just the light, reflecting off of the crystals.
[Just scrunching her nose. Why'd he have to be like that? But at least he understood what she was going through.
Maybe. She had to blink at his explanation. She'd seen other places, the red and black sky with the giant eyeball, metal walkways above acid, the distorted town blocked off with shimenawa. Hadn't she seen Yosuke in some of these places? But if it was just dreams, did that matter? ]
Are you some people?
[Dryily, testing the waters. She wasn't talking till he had.]
[She peered at him, silently staring at him. Letting him stew for a moment, to see if he changed his story or anything. Maybe a sign he was making it up.]
I remember... wearing the same uniform and sitting at a table in a courtyard. [Another pause.] There was very irritating music playing.
[Oh look, Yosuke had two heads. Or that was how Naoto was looking at him at least. A lovely, blank look. A small part of Naoto felt like he'd have gotten that look no matter what. Because what a sentence to just say.
Her nose crinkled.]
Junes...Junes. They have surprisingly good coffee. [Though she remembered some annoyance there with the coffee. She couldn't place what.]
[he yelps, suddenly feeling extremely embarrassed and flustered. even though he knows in the back of his head that that was such a strange thing to say out of nowhere.]
It just came out!! We're talking about what we remember, right??
Naoto Shirogane | Persona 4
[It was a normal day, the same as any other. Naoto was up bright and early, heading to the bookstore she'd worked in since she'd been old enough to work. When she'd been younger she'd been busy all the time. She could do her work and read books the rest of the day. But as she'd gotten older she'd devoured most of the books she wanted to read.
So she'd gotten another job, one she could do while also minding the shop.
And so, Naoto could be found sat at a desk positioned so she could see the door as she tinkered away. An array of small screwdrivers and tools as she repaired pocketwatches. Cleaning the insides, replacing broken parts.
Or she had been. Others in the room might have noticed the small fairy slowly sneaking across the desk getting ready to do something. Or a few others high on a shelf holding a garish scarf. One of them would do something, they were just waiting for the perfect moment.]
Smashing
[Calling her scawny might have been an understatement. There was no denying that she was short and though she loathed to admit it, Naoto wasn't particularly strong. Which meant she was having some trouble with the geode she'd acquired.
In the end she'd settled at a bench. Taking her pouch of tools out and finding....something that shouldn't have been there. Naoto wasn't even sure what it was, the disk-like object?
Then she winced, her grasp on it tightening and... it'd started blinking? Small red and blue lights that continuously flashed. Not that Naoto was paying attention to that. She was too busy gritting her teeth.]
What was that...an eye?
[She inhaled through her teeth. But what kind of creature could have an eye so large?]
Wildcard
{{Anything else? Just let me know. Naoto's AU backstory is pretty plain. Though compared to her normal life, anything is plain... But she was raised in an orphanage, that nerdy, smarmy kid and now works in a bookstore. Very much that book snob who needs shoving in a locker.}}
no subject
[Naoto doesn't seem to be holding anything that he can see-- but she's got her little toolkit out, so what does he know? He'd come up from behind the bench, stooping down low to look over Naoto's shoulder while she clutched something tight, expression almost-- pained?
When she relaxes, he straightens up again, an eyebrow raised.]
You seeing shit now?
[also hello how are you doing. He uses those ridiculously long legs to step over the back of the bench and onto the seat, and then down again onto the ground, just to flop back onto the bench seat next to her, hands stuck in his pocket the whole time.]
no subject
Naoto almost growled when she realised who it was. It'd been a long time, a few years. He'd left the orphanage before her.]
No! I...I... [She growled again, ducking her head. She already had a headache.] It's nothing...
[She just watched him and his freakish legs going over the bench. Staring at him even if she didn't look him in the eye.]
no subject
[He folds his arms casually over his chest, bringing up one leg to rest the ankle on the opposite knee, clearly getting comfortable. Sorry, Naoto! Something is clearly Up.]
What'd you see?
[He won't look over to her, though- might as well give her the illusion of distance. So he keeps his gaze straight ahead, watching others mill about and generally just living their life in their perfect little town.]
no subject
Naoto kept the silence up for a good minute. Then sighed.]
I'm not too sure. It was... A metal eyeball of sorts, embedded into the ground...
[She was wincing. She knew how little sense that made, how vague the description was. But how exactly did one describe something so bizarre? Naoto tried to be objective, describing something like that was...Urg. ]
no subject
While he'd never exactly been close to Naoto, he's aware that she's not exactly the type for fanciful daydreaming or getting reality and fantasy mixed up. Then again...]
...And you've been sleeping, right?
[Because he could absolutely imagine her staring up way too late into the night working on some project or another and-- maybe dozing? Still a little unlike Naoto. But hey.]
What would a metal eyeball even go to?
no subject
Her scowl got less severe as she took a breath. Then exhaled.]
About as well as I normally do.
[Which admittedly, wasn't much. She was up early in the morning and didn't go bed until later in the evening. She'd struggle to get to sleep, feeling so listless most of the time. It'd gotten worse the last few days.
But she didn't think it was that. It wasn't as though she'd gone without sleep before.]
I don't know, it looked like it was in a crater... Like it'd fallen [She just looked at the sky at that.]
smashing
he'd gotten nothing, naturally. maybe a little bit of weird looking static at one.
he finally gives up and starts wandering and peeking to see if anyone else had had any luck. it can't be that they're all fakes or something, right?
but then he sees Naoto have a bit of what looks like a freakout to him, and he knows her a little bit... well enough that he slides in, worried.]
Hey, if you're starting to hallucinate stuff I think it's time to stop.
no subject
Granted all thoughts of that had left her brain. Her body jerked at the voice and dropped the badge she'd been clutching. It quickly vanished into the grass as she focused on him. Her nose scrunched at him.]
I'm not hallucinating. [She wasn't.She really wasn't...Was she? Nah. Nothing to be concerned about classmate.
It was nothing. Just nonsense mumbling.]
no subject
he just keeps staring at her, frowning as if trying to figure out for himself what happened.]
Oookay, then what just happened? Because I sure as hell didn't see an eyeball.
no subject
But she couldn't place why.
Eventually, she sighed. Breaking her gaze from him. Deflating.]
It... It was just the light, reflecting off of the crystals.
[That had to be it.]
no subject
I mean, you wouldn't be the only one talking crazy around here.
[he's going to go on a fishing expedition.]
I keep hearing people talk some really weird shit too.
no subject
Like what? What have other people said they've seen?
[There'd been some mentions of the sky, things going missing.]
no subject
[you have to be kind of crazy to hang around Yosuke.]
Uh... well, seeing some people that they know here but in a place that's obviously not Aldrip. Not... being in Aldrip at all. Weird, right?
[right?]
no subject
Maybe. She had to blink at his explanation. She'd seen other places, the red and black sky with the giant eyeball, metal walkways above acid, the distorted town blocked off with shimenawa. Hadn't she seen Yosuke in some of these places? But if it was just dreams, did that matter? ]
Are you some people?
[Dryily, testing the waters. She wasn't talking till he had.]
no subject
[he fidgets a little bit. just fucking say it, dude!!]
You're not gonna toss me in the loony bin if I say yes, will you?
no subject
That depends on what you say. Though I might have to join you there...
no subject
[he's going to take a tentative step out.]
Like... classmates or something.
no subject
I remember... wearing the same uniform and sitting at a table in a courtyard. [Another pause.] There was very irritating music playing.
no subject
[he blinks, as if he's remembering something he wasn't expecting to... but that's exactly what's happening.]
That's so weird. That just popped into my mind??
no subject
Her nose crinkled.]
Junes...Junes. They have surprisingly good coffee. [Though she remembered some annoyance there with the coffee. She couldn't place what.]
no subject
[he yelps, suddenly feeling extremely embarrassed and flustered. even though he knows in the back of his head that that was such a strange thing to say out of nowhere.]
It just came out!! We're talking about what we remember, right??
no subject
Do you remember anything else? I remember there being an old building, made of wood.
no subject
[he tries to think of what she could be talking about. but... he can't. maybe that part isn't what's come back to him yet.]
Nope, I'm drawing a blank on that one.