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It was an ordinary day. Wasn't it?

Sora woke up in her apartment, just the same as always. She yawned, grabbed her headphones, plugged her phone in to them and began to blare music into her eardrums, just the same as always.
She climbed down from the loft where her bedroom was, down into her art space, as always. She walked over to her bathroom to do her hair, brush her teeth, put some makeup on, just as always.
She dug around in her closet idly, with her toothbrush sticking out from between her lips and she inspected the articles of clothing within. Instead of her normal t-shirt and jacket combination, she forced herself to grab the little black dress that Mimi suggested she wear for her presentation today. After a momet of real struggle, she even grabbed the far more presentable and fashionable wedge heels that were sitting in the back of her closet. Looking back on it, one could surmise that this is the first bit of evidence that something was different about today.

"I need to stop worrying about things I can't control~
I need to worrying about the dollars I don't own~"


She grabbed her backpack and terrycloth purse, double checked that she had her keys, her wallet and phone, before dancing out the front door of her apartment.

"Money don't matter if it feels for you~"
Sora Kaneko liked to dance down the street, the music in her ears motivating a less than normal amount of wiggling of her body as she walked along.
"Money don't matter if it hah- hah- hooh~"
Sora Kaneko liked to dance like the world wasn't looking at her as she stepped out of the boba place with her favorite flavor of bubble team.
"I used to worry everyday.
Now I got better things-"

The automatic door for her favorite art supplies store opened as she walked past, almost inviting her inside. The young lady blinked, looking over and inside.
"... mmmmmmmmmmmm, I shouldn't. I just- I don't- I need to..." She bit her lip, contemplating her use of the time. Was that her favorite cashier? ...
"mmmMMMMMmm.....ahhhhhhhh, I can't say no to this place. EEEEEEEEEE!"

She charged right on in, grabbed a basket and headed right back to the paint and paint accessories. She had just received a REALLY big payment for her last commission, and she had sure used a LOT of paint on it. Whyyyyy not spend a little of the money? She had more than enough saved up for rent, and sending back to dad. Whaaaaaats it gonna huuuurt? She danced along, grabbing every color under the sun that she could ever want, giggling to herself and letting that old basket get as heavy as it wanted. And when she was done, right up front to the counter, where a very familiar man was standing around waiting for someone to come over and give him something to do.

"Heyyyyy, Dante. Whats a sexy guy like you doin' here all alone?" She dropped the basket on the counter and leaned forward, looking at the man with a big ol' grin on her face.
"It's gonna be all this shit in here- Oh AND! I found a coupon in the bottom of my puuuuuuuurseeee!" She giggled and put the coupon on the counter, before she started to rifle around in her purse, placing her pile of yen on the counter, looking at the mess of bills self-consciously, before glancing up at him apologetically. "hehe... sorry."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AND WE ARE STARTING, SO EVERYONE FEEL FREE TO GET ON GOIN'.
 
'Looking for something fun to do during the eclipse today? Sapporo's own Hokkaido Orchestra Club will be performing outside the Planetarium today..'

"Hah! My daughter is on the television!" Fumio clapped his hands and pointed at the announcer, beaming over at his daughter as she placed a tray with three square blue and white dishes of rice, miso soup, and delicately cut up vegetables on the cramped family kitchen table. Situated right above the Greek restaurant Cicada, it was not a large flat at all, and it was further crowded by appliances, kitchen and food supplies and the detritus of a family in constant motion. Much like the restaurant below, the flat was flavored with dishware, art and knickknacks from her mother Anna's original home in Greece.

Ismene glanced at the television, then looked away quickly, straightening and smoothing the simple white apron across a black, long sleeve top with a little lace at the neck and sleeves and dark pants. Attire to match the rest of the orchestra for today's performance. She self-consciously lifted a hand to where a little blue flower pin was secured in her dark hair, pinning the dark tresses back at one side of her face and matching the dyed blue and silvery tips that brushed her shoulders. "I'm.. not on TV dad, they're just mentioning the orchestra."

"And we're proud of you," her mother Anna came over and squeezed Ismene's shoulders in a fond hug before sitting down as the family trio started in on breakfast. "We're both looking forward to attending." She gazed across the table at Fumio, "I can't remember the last time we had a nice date away from the restaurant."

"Hmm.. mmhmm mmm.." Fumio agreed thoughtfully and looked back at Anna. "You see, Isy? Your concert is bringing your parents together, like the sun and moon in the sky!" As her parents exchanged puppy dog eyes across the table, Ismene ducked her head and focused on eating her breakfast. Her stomach was a little fluttery, so she ate sparingly. It wasn't her first concert, but it felt like this one was a bigger deal than most of the rest.


~

Ismene had agreed to help setup for the concert in the park outside the Planetarium and left early on her bicycle, weaving through the city streets with practiced ease. But she slowed and coasted as she drew up near an art supply store, where a familiar friend worked. She saw someone she recognized enter and kicked her bike to a stop, ducking her head and hoping Sora didn't see her. Not because she didn't like Sora, but it seemed like for some reason Sora didn't want to see her - and she didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Certainly not in the way that it had seemed uncomfortable the last couple times she'd delivered food to her father. Thankfully, Sora seemed very distracted. She moved a little more forward and peered through the window. Would Dante be working today? She thought to remind him about her concert and smiled at the idea that he might attend. But she looked away and shook her head, "He probably has to work.." she murmured to herself. It wouldn't do any good to remind him. Only make him feel bad. She moved on.

Setup for the concert stage was already started when she arrived, the pavilion prepared to host a large audience. There would be chairs of course, but also the entirety of the park would be accessible for those who wanted to simply picnic. There were even a few early souls who had reserved spaces with blankets or ropes so they would have the better spots later. Ismene parked her bike behind the pavilion and the conductor found her immediately. "Ismene! Good, good, help with the instruments, I don't trust these guys with them." He glared at a few of the volunteers setting up folding chairs. Right on cue, one of them knocked over a stack, sending a loud racket echoing in through the pavilion. The conductor planted his hand to his face, "Idiots."

"It'll be okay," Ismene assured him, putting aside her own nerves and gently touching his arm, while offering him a big smile. "I'll take care of it." He took a long breath and grinned back at her, "Ah, yes yes.. you're right. Glad your with us, Ismene. We'll get through this together!" He held up his arm in a balled fist, then marched off emboldened to remonstrate his volunteers on how to properly arrange chairs. She watched him go, then went up to check on her harp, unlatching her harp's case and opening it. She set it up herself and tested the strings to make sure nothing was out of tune during its transport. Nothing was. She took a long breath. It was going to be a big day.
 
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dante banner.png
LOCATION: WORK, ARTS SUPPLY STORE
WITH: SORA [ explosiveKitten explosiveKitten ]

The morning arose with its familiar patterns of mundanity. Rising, fitting the bed, opening Abby’s pen to deliver her breakfast, then succumbing to a hot shower for an unnecessary hour. There was comfort in this repetitive sequence, a ritual that assured Dante never felt lost with its meticulously unwritten plan. A plan he’s followed down to the marrow for a few years now; yet to tip off its tracks. But even with the grace of familiarity the routine brought him, it stemmed from a festering paranoid seed. Whispering discouragements such as should his life of repetitious solace be stirred in any way he’ll be welcomed back into the bleakness of his past. It already trailed him like a cautious dog, sniffing at his feet and following at a distance.

Breakfast was a single glass of orange juice and a morsel of leftover baklava from Cicada. After brushing his teeth, he scoops his small bunny with a single hand and deposits her into her play area.

“Don’t tip over the cage again.” He points a reprimanding finger at her round face to which Abby retorts with a gentle nibbling and unblinking eyes. The stern pull on Dante’s face melts with adoring warmth, a smile blessing his habitually scowling features as an airy chortle breaks through his lips. “Little menace.” With a finalizing tap to Abby’s nose, Dante grabs his keys, phone, slips on his sunglasses, and heads out the apartment.

Work greeted him with absolute silence per usual. He enters the breakroom through the back via swiping his employee card to unlock the room. Each wall is aligned with tall gray lockers, ten for the total of four employees who bothered to show. Currently, it would only be Dante until late into the afternoon. He pulls his green apron—the only mandatory uniform accessory—out from his locker and throws it over his chest with a swiftness. His keys and sunglasses are tossed into the locker.

Once the open sign was flipped and the shelves restocked, Dante stood behind the counter and waited. From the corner of his eye, an obnoxiously pink sticky-note catches his attention from the bulletin board behind him. He plucks it off and reads it.

Dear employees, I’ve gotten some reports from uncomfortable customers saying that a suspicious gang of individuals have been seen loitering around the store. If they show up during your shift, please do not interact with them and immediately call the police. Thank you!

— Fujiwara Youske.

The owner of the store. He was an elderly man with creaking bones and knobby knees who insisted that, despite his arthritis, he could lift pounds of boxes without any effort. It was pitiful just as much as it was oddly endearing. He reminded Dante of his grandfather in the way he loved his work so passionately.

As much as he regretted to admit to no one but himself, those suspicious individuals were following him. His grandfather had to undergo another surgery a few months ago and the bill had finally been sent in. Dante had pumped most of his earnings into it, which meant there wasn’t enough to pay back the debt he owed Takara, an old “friend”. Of course he’d be travelling with a pack of dogs, otherwise Dante would have him eating gravel in no less than a second.

He hadn’t heard the bell of the door ring yet showed no signs of surprise when hearing a familiar voice purr from the other side of the counter. Dante blinks and looks over his shoulder seeing Sora heave a filled basket onto the surface, the large grin on her face nearly contagious.

“…Whats a sexy guy like you doin' here all alone?"

“My job?” Dante smirks, brow arching in wry amusement while pinning the note back onto the board, then facing the purchase in sight of him. He begins the tedious process of scanning and bagging each item, watching the price climb with quick glances towards the money spread over the counter, doing the math in his head. “So, what are you all dolled up for?” He finally asks while reaching for the coupon and typing in the code. “Woke up this morning feelin’ like turning heads?” He bags the last of her items and hands them over, wondering how she even finished the last collection of paints so fast.
 
228690.jpgMadoka woke up to her alarm clock going off. She slowly rose up and turned off then yawned. She couldn't explain it but she felt a little strange this morning. She gave another big yawned and stretched out her arms. Part of her wanted to stay in bed and just sleep for another two hours. She had been up all night reading. "Oh I better get up. I have to open the library this morning." She forced herself up and got ready for the day. She put on her favorite dress and made a quick breakfast smoothie and headed out the door. Luckily she have to didn't to catch a bus or anything. The library was with in walking distance. As she was making her way to the library she saw a girl walk by her in black mini dress and wedge heels. She stopped for a moment as she watched the girl walk into the art supply store. "Pretty.." Madoka looked down at her clothes then glanced through the window at the girl in the black dress. "I wonder if I could pull something off like that...." Madoka then looked at her watch and her eyes widen. "Ah! It's this late already I'm going to be late if I don't hurry!" She then took off down the street.

Once she made it to the library she quickly clocked in and sat down behind the desk. "Alright made it just in time. Hehe that was a close one." Once she was settled got on the computer checking for over due books and people slowly started to come in. As she was working she heard someone mention about the eclipse. "There's a eclipse happening today?" She looked out the window behind her. "Cool!....wait didn't I have a dream about a eclipse last night?.....weird."

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“Ohhh, just for you~” she cooed, wiggling her eyebrows at him suggestively before dropping the flirting tone and groaning, stretching her arms up.
“I have a big presentation over at the school for my latest art project, and I needed to get all dressed up. It suuuuuuucks because I'm so bad with my makeup, and my eyeliner was all dried up today so I don't even have any, just- ughhhhhhhh."

She looked down at the steadily shrinking pile of yen on the counter and furrowed her brows. She was probably gonna have a lot left over. But she wasn't going to be needing that any time soon. Dante worked like three jobs, right? He could probably use that money more than her. She didn’t really need it.

“So ya know. I just finished up a reallllly big, expensive commission, it was really big, like suuuuper big. Somebody asked me to paint their frickin dog to look like George Washington? Which is weird because isn’t that an American guy? And I got nice and paid for it, it was really expensive for them because it was so big. Like who asks somebody to paint a classic oil painting, OF THEIR DOG, in a powdered wig? What the fuck.”

She sighed as the transaction was done, pulling up the photo of it on her phone that she had sent to client and showed it to Dante. “Seriously. What the hell?”

When she grabbed all the bags and began to stuff them into her various personal bags, she eyeballed the spare change on the counter, not at all subtly glancing back and forth between him and the money.

“… soooo, I’ve gotta get to claaaasss…. You have a nice daaaaay, annnndkeepthechangebye!”

She turned very sharply on her heels, running out of the store before he could even stop her to try to say no.

Klown Klown
 
By the time the sun had risen, anyone walking by the egregiously haughty home of the family that owned the FAE corporation would see the silhouette of a young man in the second story window, looking back down at them. The chill air of the morning would most likely have many waking up maybe a half hour later, especially students such as Auber himself, but something had woken him up earlier than he had expected. Something different. Something odd. He'd already gotten dressed and ready to get to class, which didn't start for another hour or so, but he knew he couldn't leave his room until...

Auber checked his watch, watching the twin hands slowly tick down to the minute.

Now. He turns, facing away from the window, grabbing his book bag and opening the door in one fell swoop. As Auber entered the residential bedroom hall, he heard the sound of his mother's bedroom door closing. Without tripping, he managed to make it all the way downstairs, and out the door without disturbing anyone who were still slumbering.

Auber hadn't realized that he'd been holding his breath until his feet touched the stone of the road outside. Why had he done that? Auber had gone through that routine numerous times when he'd woken up early, yet that odd tense feeling in his chest remained. It was like his body knew something was going to happen that his brain couldn't perceive. Either way, he checked his watch again, and began to walk towards the center of town, where the route to get to class was.

Halfway there, he paused by the clocktower as it rang out. Early in the morning there were some substantial groups of people looking up at it, but his morning classes let him admire the building without the usual afternoon rush of tourists and photographers. Despite it's simplicity, Auber always thought it was something amazing, and yet he could never explain why. Perhaps it was the architecture, or it's past, or the way that everyone who visits Sapporo always has it down on their lists.

He's startled by the sound of someone laughing behind him. Turning on his heel, still high-strung, a group of grade school boys pass by. It must have been them. Auber released yet another breath he had not known he was holding.

With a strange force in his step, Auber headed off to class to begin his day.
 
As our characters make their way through their days, they see groups of people huddled around their phones, chattering and talking amongst themselves.

"Theres supposed to be a solar eclipse today!"
"I heard about that! Its the first one in several years I think?"
"I guess! The weather guy said it was very unexpected. Astrologists almost didn't see it coming."
"Really? They're the ones who are supposed to be watching that stuff."

"Eh, who knows? Supposedly there's supposed to be a bunch of other stuff going on out there in the solar system right now as well."

There were people from the local news station passing out special sunglasses that would let people look at the eclipse when it happened. There were excited whispers all over the city. The university had a plan for an eclipse party on the main lawn. People were gathering there even when Sora walked by, setting up tables with snacks, special sunglasses, promotional material for an Astronomy club, and any other university organization. She tossed her boba cup into a recycling bin as she walked by, adjusting her bag as she waltzed by, feeling good about this day. It was all going to be a great day. Everything was going great! Nothing could go wrong!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours pass. Classes are held. Lunch passes, and classes begin to get out. Students make their treks back to their dorms, or to the lunch room.


But not Sora. She was nervously pacing on a stage in front of a hastily put-up, large 2 square meter large painting that she had spent a lot of hours on. It was carefully covered with a tarp till the reveal, and she was anxiously watching the people moving it around to get it hung properly.

"Ah, god, please, just- be careful- OhhhHh god-"
"Sora, dear."

Sora turned around to find her dad standing off to the side of the stage, and she eyes widened.
"Dad! What are you doing here?"
“I came to see my daughter’s latest artwork- I’m very proud of her.”
Gin said, grabbing his daughter and pulling her into a hug, and she hugged him back for a moment, before playing off at being “embarrassed” because she knew he found it funny.
“Eewwwww, getting a hug from my daaaadd, grooosssss!” She groaned, pushing him off, only to have him grab her again and start to pepper her face with kisses.
“Oh yeah??? Grossed out by your old man, huh? How about this! And this! AND THIS!”
“Eeewwwwwww, noooooooo, sttoooooop.”
“And this! Kids these days-“
“Dad-“
“No respect for their parents!”
“Dad please-“
“The audacity!”
“Alright alright alright! Enough playing around dad!”
She actually shoved him off that time, pouting at him as he burst out laughing, then coughing. Then laughing. Then coughing.
“Jeez dad, are you okay?… You didn’t go back to smoking did you?”
“Nono, no I haven’t started smoking again. I just have weak lungs after it girl, lord!”
“Uh-huh. Well, you don’t smell like it, so I guess I’ll believe you.”
“I’m telling the truth! I’ve been off that for yeeeeeears!”


And so the banter went, lovingly, between father and daughter, till the big moment soon arrived. Her father gave her a thumbs up and went off to find his place in the audience in the auditorium. The clock struck 5:00PM. It was the big moment.

Outside, the gathering of students on the lawn began to shout in excitement as the sun began to go dark behind the shape of the moon.

“Our local artistic genius is here to unveil her most recent masterpiece before you all! Sora Kaneko, everyone!”

After a moment to breathe, Sora stepped out into the harsh stage lights, looking out over the crowd of gathered bodies, whom all clapped for her entrance. She smiled and waved. Did a little twirl and curtsy, just for fun.

“Th- ahem, thank you, Mrs. Sato. I’m Sora, hi, hello, and I am. SO excited to see all these people coming out to see little old me! Never in my life did I imagine something like this! I’m so excited to show everyone my newest piece. I call it “Blown Out”, I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do! Mr. Tanaka, please, uh, remove the tarp!”


With that, one of the men whom put the painting up grabbed the edge of the tarp over the painting and gave it a tug.

Outside, more students had gathered to stare as more and more of the sun was blotted out, the sky darkening significantly in this time.

As the tarp fell away, the brilliant masterpiece was revealed. In typically Sora fashion, it was space themed. It featured, quite prominently, the planet Jupiter, which currently had the Earth’s moon, dark like it were a new moon, colliding with the surface on the planet, spraying rocks and dust into the nebulas and stars behind the scene. The crowd ooohed and aahed at the realism portrayed.
“And I know a lot of you are going to ask, how I came up with it. And well, frankly, I don’t honestly know!” She laughed as she stepped aside to let everyone look at it. “I like to say I see this stuff in dreams, and that sounds like an excuse, but I mean it this time, I saw this one in a dream!”

She walked back out towards the center of the stage. “Crazy, wild dream I had that inspired this one. Really, I-“

Outside, as the last piece of the sun is covered up by the moon, a scream rang out. And the ground began to shake. Violently. Students, confused and panicking, began to run as the ground began to shake almost directly under the campus. Students and teachers panicked, falling to the ground band trying to run. It was like the whole city was being personally shaken by the gods themselves.

The lights began to flicker, and dim, and the stage began to shake under Sora’s feet as a piercing pain shot right into her brain, sending her reeling and falling to the floor. The audience began to panic and dash for the exits as the shaking began to worsen and worsen.
Sora’s eyes were wide open. Images before her very eyes, the white-hot pain in her mind was blinding as she saw images of …something, a past life, a princess, the moon, planets, stars, an entire solar system that wasn’t her own, the past the present the future all at once all the time. Her nose started to bleed as she screamed from the pain, the memories, the prophecies, all of it crashing down on her at once-

Until it stopped. The shaking stopped as the moon made its way off the sun, the shaking dying until the only evidence that it had even happened was the startled people of the city, and the overturned snack table.

Klown Klown animegirl20 animegirl20 Squad141 Squad141 DemiMoon DemiMoon Karcen Karcen
 
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The day wore on, like a river running its course into the sea. Ismene compartmentalized her anxiety about the performance behind mundane tasks. Setting up instruments and stands, sheet music carefully turned to the correct page. One of the club members arrived at the pavilion in a panic and grabbed the conductor by his shirt, practically shaking him. "My flute! I left it back on campus!"

The conductor looked rattled and panicked, "I told you to mark it carefully, Ena! You'll have to get it yourself!"

"But it's so far!" she cried desperately.

Ismene looked up at the turmoil. Her attention couldn't help straying to the gathering crowd for the concert. Her stomach fluttered with little butterflies, and she quickly swallowed them down. "I can get it," she offered. Fetching the wayward instrument seemed a far better idea than contemplating her upcoming performance.

"Ah, thank you Ismene!" the conductor grasped on the solution like a drowning man might a life preserver. "But can you get it in time?" Ismene smiled at them both and stood, "Don't worry, I'll be back in a half hour." She had a good head for times, she'd made delivery runs like these as a matter of habit. She bowed her head, then quickly went to her bike and hopped on. As she zipped away from the pavilion, she felt her nerves steady around the familiar rush of speeding to make a deadline.

Still, it took her longer than she anticipated. She hadn't accounted for how disorganized their instrument storage was, even with most of them taken to the park. And there was a crowd on the lawn on the way back through campus. She discerned it was an observation party. She should have accounted for that. As she navigated around it, she glanced at the stage and was surprised to see Sora for the second time today. That was a strange coincidence. She noticed she was getting hugged by her father and smiled. But that also reminded her that her own parents were coming to her concert, and they would be waiting and perhaps worried about her. She didn't linger any longer but escaped the gravity of the crowd to make her way back towards the Planetarium.

She made it with only a few minutes to spare. Both the conductor and Ena were waiting for her and the later hugged her suddenly as soon as she got off her bike and handed over the flute in its case. "Thank you!" She scampered off quickly. Ismene was quite flustered when the conductor hugged her right afterwards. "I nearly thought we would have to cancel the whole concert!" He leaned back and held her arms and stared intently at her, shaking her slender frame once, "How could you worry me so much!? You said a half hour!"

"Um.." Ismene was completely thrown off by suddenly being hugged twice, obviously flustered. "..there was a crowd.."

"Never mind that! Go! To your places! Everyone!" He gestured frantically and the orchestra assembled before its various instruments. The benefit of the whole experience was that Ismene almost forgot about being anxious until this very moment. The bad part was it all came crashing in like a sudden wave, threatening to drown her. Her fingers were shaking as she tuned her harp strings once again, until the conductor tapped his baton and called for unity in silence. Ismene dared a glance across the crowd. She registered her parents, cheerfully waving towards her, and scanning for anyone else she knew as long as she dared before their performance began.

The nerves settled as she played the harp. Anticipation worse than actuality. As the moon started to cross the sky, she almost lost herself in the glide of fingers across strings. It felt like she was somewhere else - like remembering a dream. She wasn't one of many on a pavilion on a lawn, but alone with a beautiful white and silver harp suspended on a clear crystal pool. She wasn't wearing simple black, but a flowing silken dress studded with aquamarine and pearls on silver strands. She wasn't surrounded by strangers, but wonderful friends she loved and cared for. She could almost see the features of the dearest of these, a golden-haired girl clutching to a taller, dark-haired man. Princess and prince, two among many. She felt like a princess herself. Confident, graceful and mercurial on the harp strings. And in the reflection of the clear pool she didn't see the darkening sun, but a beautiful globe of blues, greens and whites in the night sky..

..then the dream became a nightmare.

No longer was she seated on a beautiful clear pool, but water whirled around her, keeping at bay screaming, tearing shapes. The beautiful scene rent with fire, terror and formless foes. There were screams of terror and anguish. She knew she didn't have strength enough to protect them. She felt alone. The water burst around her and darkness came screaming in at her. Water became frigid shards of ice and she called it to her, beckoning with outstretched hand in desperation. She felt them pierce the darkness and herself. A gruesome snowflake. The last gasp of her dream was the beautiful globe in the sky, she reached towards it with her bleeding arm..

CRASH.

Her music stand toppled as the ground shook. She blinked away the dream. Or memory..? The orchestra scattered around her, jostling her. She was a still island in a turbulent ocean. She stared at her hand, searching for blood or injury. Found none. The shaking stopped, the panic of the orchestra and the crowd out in the park started to still. Reality took hold on her awareness, but the dream did not fade as it should, solidifying into memory. Could that have actually happened.

"Was that.. real..?"
 
The ticking continued, only slightly heard through the noise of the street cars and people.

The day had gone on as Auber had expected. He had taken a short quiz in Western Literature, eaten lunch by the big field next to the university, helped a T.A. set up some equipment in the observatory, and even made it to his other four classes with time to spare. All because he felt especially perceptive, not in general, but perceptive of... something. That tightness in his chest, the odd feeling he had felt ever since he woke up, had not dissipated. Auber had simply learned to deal with it, like many things in his life so far.

As he had been leaving his last class, he heard about the eclipse and the watch party in the field below. That might have been interesting, if it hadn't been so cramped, and if Games Club hadn't been cancelled, which he always looked forward to. After all, it was only the moon. Instead, Auber had decided to return to his usual walking route before heading back home later, walking through a few of the back streets, some major roads, by one of the outskirts, and before he knew it, he had ended back up at the Clock Tower. The tourists had acted just as he had predicted, taking pictures and walking closely inside the clock tower itself.

It was a bit odd he had instinctually returned here, but it was one of his favorite monuments in Sapporo. There probably wasn't anymore to it.

...

...?

That's odd, Auber thought. As he had turned away to start walking towards his street, and ass the sky began to darken, the clock tower chimed. Checking his watch, he knew for certain that it shouldn't be going off anytime soon. Had it broken?

Someone laughed behind him.

Just like last time, Auber spun around on the soles of his feet. The chimes kept ringing out. What had happened? What had happened there? But what was there? What was he thinking about? The chuckles of someone else in the empty space where many people had once been kept returning, like the ever-deepening bellows of the clock tower's chimes, almost like some sort of crashing, or knocking.

With each strike, there was something else. Something new in his head that he didn't want there. The color Purple. A landscape alien to his own. A family that was not his. A jewel embedded in a sword. And the laughter. The laughter that was constantly behind him, constantly in the place that he could not see, the laughter that echoes like the clock as loud as a train like the train was billowing towards him and he couldn't get off the tracks and-

Auber steadied himself as the screams subsided on the people inside of the clock tower. The world returned to its brightness as the moon passed back over to it's correct position. Was there an earthquake? He wouldn't doubt it.

What was he doing again? Auber thought about it. Then, he began walking back home.

Yet, he was acutely aware of something else. Something else inside of him that was not there before. Something that could laugh.
 
Azamuku knew she had failed, she been willfully blind to the rot that was now the doom of everything. Those days of a just cause seemed so far away now as this was no longer about recognition and fair treatment, but was the end. Aza would not stay till the end she had already made sure it would end. Saturn would reset everything no matter what happened. Aza should have never broken the rules, she should have just stayed alone, but now she couldn't she had to make up for her failings. The taboo to never leave had been broken so what was another.

Aza landed her ship outside the castle of pluto, as quiet and empty as she had left it. It had been just her for years alonely world iwoth a lonely guardian. Aza looked to the dark cold sky and saw it a tiny pinprick of like almost as bright as a star and knew the end had come. That was no twinkling star but a wave of silent death undoing life within the system. She could wait here she could let the wave take her and cleanse her of her wring doings and give her the release of oblivion. That however, would not happen everything that had happened would happen again, those lost now would be reborn the full moon queen for all her weakness would not allow her favored subject to just end. A traitor like Aza would not be excluded.


Rebirth, somone in the far flung future waking up with memories that were not thier own. It was not sonething Aza wished to inflict another with, to make them suffer fir her mistakes to change them to be like her. No she had done things,things she knew were wring, but this was a line she didn't want to cross. The answer was in the castle, another taboo.

Even as Aza entered the castle the pin prick was growing and growing. There was time before the end came for pluto,but not much. It would be enough fir Aza to taje in the few places she ridnt remember as cold and dead before heading to her escape. The space time door, the reason it was taboo for her to leave the world. The door was one of the most important things in the solar system with it travel through time and space was possable. If a force of evil got a hold of it they could God to the past and undo the very Founding of the kingdoms or go far into the future to strike at the past already knowing the results.

It was taboo to let anyone travel through time and yet Aza had broken one taboo so why not another? Aza pulled out the key to the door aa even deep underground in the deepest reaches of space she could almost see the light of destruction growing, catching up with her. Aza opened the space time door and walked in leaving to door closed to all as the solar system became as dead and quiet as pluto.

Beyond the door was nothing and yet everything, it was a space outside reality all realities and yet able to touch them all. Aza could see the timeliness as streams of color and yet as she did they all went white. It seemed destruction was unavoidable and death took all possibilities. Aza took a step and it felt as she might imagine walking on water would as the floor rippled. Aza took anotherstep and caused another ripple the white slowly dying with every step. Each step moved Aza through time allowing her to watch the kingdom that had fallen become nothing more that ruins. Step after step aza continued through time not counting how many she took. The cold dead system would one day have life once more and yet Aza didn't stop as humans emerged once more. She didn't stop as she watched their kingdoms rise and fall. She was looking gorgeous something what that was Aza didn't know.

Aza wandered through time and space watching and waiting. She didn't know how many years had passed outside or how long it had been for her. Each step felt like the first, like this had all happened in an instant. She didn't know when or where the others would be or how to look for them,yet something told her she would know. Then she saw it from outside tome,the eclipse. She watched the sun be covered by the moon and felt it now was the time. Aza knew she had to get out and the space responded as it opened. She was no longer traveling through time, but just where and when she was Aza did not know, but she knew the others were here sonewhere.
 
dante banner.png
LOCATION: LEAVING AN ALLEY
WITH: ALONE

MENTIONS: ISMENE [ DemiMoon DemiMoon ]
She’d gussied up for him, apparently. Dante tilted his head at that, but bit back any sort of comment. Not that he had one to make. Instead, he silently counts the scattered yen as Sora regales him with tales of dried mascara and uncanny commissions of dogs. It’s enough to leave a steady smile on his lips, should someone be so generous as to call it that. He wasn’t scowling and thus it was smile enough.

“Some people are passionate about their animals.” Dante offers with a dismissive shrug. His thoughts paint pictures of Abby in a powdered wig, and what absurd images they were.

He’d collected her due change when Sora decided the door is to be promptly met. Leaving a cloud of dust in her wake, along with an egregious amount of cash at his counter.

“Seriously?” He clicked his tongue, brows furrowing deeply like puzzle pieces clicking in place. After all the trouble he goes through to afford a single day, this one is tossing over thousands in yen as if it were loose coin. He sighs, collecting the cash and tucking it into his register hoping Youske wouldn’t find so much extra cash in his till suspicious.



His shift went about as any regular shift entailed. There weren’t many customers, but the ones who did pass by were more focused on buying and leaving the store than humoring Dante with any length of conversation. Not that he would have preferred that. Sometimes, he wanted the customers out of the store as soon as they walked through the door, and he was sure some were smart enough to sense that.

The owner of the store, Youske, arrived later in the day to relieve Dante of his shift. He’d mentioned wanting to see the Hokkaido Orchestra Club’s concert a week ago, and the old man swore to relieve Dante with just enough time to make it there by bike. While it hadn’t gone exactly as planned, if Dante was speedy, he could make it just in time to miss only the beginning of.

Apron hung and belongings tucked safely into his pocket, Dante exits the breakroom and into the alley. An alley occupied much to his dismay.

Takara flicked ash off the end of his cigarette, plumes of smoke pouring from his nose as he straightens off the wall. Around him, his goons lingered squatted to the floor with metal rods clutched in their hands.

“Finally off work?” Takara asks smugly. There’s a rumbling in Dante’s chest that’s nothing short of a growl. “Take it easy, we’re only here for polite conversation.”

“And nothing says ‘polite conversation’ like armed backup, I’m sure.” Dante scoffed, flicking a glare in the posse’s direction, being met with equal looks of vitriolic loathing. “I told you I’ll get you your fucking money when I have it. A little patience goes a long way.” Severely outnumbered and Dante still showed no signs of retaliation. Not even a quiver to his lip. He was hard rock and metal, endured the worst and had become fortified by it, not eroded.

Above them, the smallest glimpse of black begins to peak over the sun.

“I don’t think you’re in any kind of position to be talking big, Dante. We’ve been rather cordial with you as of late, and it feels like you might be taking that for granted.” Takara waves his hand to the two that stood guard at the entrance of the alley. They nodded and headed to the right, where an alarming realization tells Dante that’s in the direction of the store’s door.

“What are you—”

“Just keeping the clerk busy. Heard he was feeling a little threatened, so my boys are just going to keep him company until we finish up here, so he has nothing to worry about.”

There’s a shrill ringing rising in the back of Dante’s head, following a blistering pinch to his temples as his veins strain against his skin.

“You bastard.”

Whoever threw the first punch couldn’t be known. Three bodies descended upon Dante at once, two with metal bars and one with pure fists. Dante managed to snatch the metal rod out from flimsy fingers before cracking it down on the head of its previous possessor. Above his head, the sky darkens as the son is blanketed by the moon. That shrill ringing in his head grows louder and louder and something seems to pop, and he’s among the stars.

Armies of armored men and woman fighting along a barren field over a dark sea of stars. A blinding shock of green shoots towards him before he’s back in the alley.

A fist crashes in his jaw and sends him reeling. When he opens his eyes, he’s knelt before two women of royal title. A queen and a princess so gorgeous he could hardly look away.

Dante slams against the wall of the alley, gripping his head as it throbs with the memories of an old life trying to create space among the memories of the new. It felt like shoving his foot into a shoe four sizes too small. The final blow comes from metal bar, striking him right over the skull. He drops to the floor as it starts to tremble beneath him.

“Give up on your colony and return to Mars. The shape of your moon is pathetic enough already, we’ll find different accommodations for you.”

“But if you would just give me the recourses I need then I could—”

“Enough! What you seek is impossible. Even if doable, do you really believe such immense power would be wasted on a meager colony such as yours, General Phobos?”

Dante gasps awake, his lungs straining against his ribs and dust flooding into his throat. He coughs painfully, body coiling into itself as pain shoots from every nerve. Takara and his men weren’t around, although there was a slip of paper tucked just between his fingers. A time, a date, and the initials of a location only they would know. He grunts, crumbling the slip beneath his fingers and slowly climbs onto his feet despite his body’s pointed cry against it. The eclipse was over. Everything around him looked just a little more disheveled than he last remembered, and he feels the ghost of a trembling ground before everything had gone black.

There’s blood dripping from his nose, clogging his sinuses. A nauseous tilt to the world as he takes a step forward and grips the wall for support. Another shot of pain in his head as if about to be smacked with another strange vision, but he slaps himself before it could come to fruition. Everything ached. While he was sure that Takara and his men had fled the moment the ground began to shake, he didn’t doubt they left without throwing a few more strikes at Dante while he was down.

He hobbled out of the alley, cracked phone pulled out of his pocket as he wondered where the nearest hospital was. Instead of searching, he sends a text to Ismene.

[ You okay? ]
 
Chaos rippled out from the pavilion like a pond disturbed by a stone, but the distortion was temporary. For most of the audience and orchestra, panic subsided into relief. No one was hurt in any significant way. The conductor shouted out for calm and order. Someone straightened Ismene's music stand for her. She didn't notice. She couldn't get the imagery that flooded into her mind out of her head. It was like she was a puzzle with missing pieces and someone scattered them all across the picture she'd been planning, and she wasn't certain her life could look the same.

She'd never even imagine herself in such a beautiful gown. She didn't make a habit of dresses. They weren't practical, especially going right from school or orchestra to running deliveries. She hadn't worn anything nearly so lavish as the dress she remembered herself in, even at those awful secondary school dances her parents had forced her to go to. Dreams were funny things, but she hadn't had dreams when she'd been awake. Or where she remembered what it felt like to wear a particular garment. Let alone the awful, piercing cold and the rushing terror she felt after that.

Her current black attire did not feel nearly as nice. But it did have one practical advantage - pockets. Her phone buzzed. She ignored it, but it buzzed a second insistent time and she blinked and finally moved again, pulling it from her pocket.

[ You okay? ]

She replied almost on instinct to the check-in.

[ Ok, you? ]

Dante. She hadn't seen him. If he was here, would he have sent a text? She looked up and saw her parents frantically trying to get her attention. She worried her lower lip. Dante had a way of getting into trouble. And when he was in trouble, he didn't ask for help - but he might ask if she needed it. She pushed back these strange dreams or.. memories? She could contemplate them later. Time to focus on the now. If she didn't ask more, he probably wouldn't offer more. She tapped out a second quick text.

[ Where are you? ]

She had to put her phone away and leave the pavilion or her parents would probably make a terrible scene climbing up on the stage. She walked carefully around the orchestra checking their instruments or picking up scattered belongings and out the back of the pavilion. She was met by her mother who scooped her up in a hug quickly. "Oh, thank goodness," worry mingled with relief bled into Anna's words. She'd lost a loved one once to a natural disaster. It was too believable for her that she might lose another loved one to another disaster.

"Ismene! In the event of an earthquake, you should duck under cover! Protect your head, like this!" Fumio folded his arms over his head and neck in an awkward position. Her father had his own way of expressing his concern. "Sorry," she answered softly. Her mother hugged her. Her father lectured her. That's how it was, how they loved her. She didn't mind, even if it was a bit embarrassing sometimes.

Anna pulled back and squeezed her arms, looking her over carefully to make certain her daughter was okay. "Let's go home, okay?" Fumio held a hand to his temple and shook his head, "Cicada! Ahh.. I hope nothing fell on a customer! That would be just what we need!" He pulled out his phone and started furiously texting.

"Let me put away my harp and get my bike." Ismene reached out and gently touched Anna's forearm and stroked it reassuringly. Anna eventually nodded and let go, standing back up and looking over Fumio's shoulder. "Eight, no nine broken plates!" he muttered, glowering at his phone's screen. Ismene returned to the pavilion, pressing herself to the side as a half dozen students filed out. She went back to her harp to secure it inside its case and latch it. It would be returned the same way it came, she just had to make sure it was secured for that transportation and any rough handling. When she was comfortable with that she took out her phone again, checking if there was a reply while she had the moment.
 
228690.jpgMadoka continued her day at work as usual. Checking in books doing a reading time with the kids. Madoka had been so distracted with work she had completely forgot about the eclipse which she did want to see. She was currently putting the books away on the shelf when suddenly she noticed it getting dark. She glanced at the window and remembered the eclipse was happening. She reached in her pocket to pull out the specials sun glasses her boss had given her when suddenly she started to get a headache it started small but then started to get worse and worse. She screamed and held her head and closed her eyes it was the worse headache she had ever had in her life. It felt like her skull was going to explode. As this was happening she started see memories of a past life. They rushing like a tidal wave. She saw she saw the four sailor scouts all giving her different looks none welcoming she saw the princess ditzy and unaware as ever. She saw her best friend and the man she had fallen for and her mother.

During all that Madoka had fallen to the floor still holding her head and feeling the pain of her splitting headache. It was all to much for Madoka to take in and process. It was just memories flooding in it was emotions to that with them. She felt terrible sadness and extreme anger. People had surrounded her watching trying to figure out what to do. She continued to scream and cry until suddenly she completely blacked out. After a moment she opened her eyes the headache was still there it wasn't as bad as before but still bad. She then realized she was her head was laying on something. Her looked up and noticed a woman looking down at her. "...M-mother?" She said straining to get a word out. Her mother gave her gentle smile. "Hello Dear were the memories to much for you?" She felt her mother's hand petting her head to soothe her. Madoka looked at her and tears started running down her face though through the tears she glared at her. "How could yo-" Her mother cut her off. "Oh dear...." A slight irritated look appeared briefly on her face. "Seems like you've remembered a little to much. Now now let's forget all those nasty memories for now." Before Madoka could respond her mother kissed her forehead and suddenly a wave warmth washed over her and her headache went away along with most of her memories. Madoka blinked suddenly confused why was she angry again? She then looked at her mother and smiled. "I've missed you." Madoka said as if she wasn't just glaring at her moments ago. "I know dear now I need you to wake up. Wake up." Madoka suddenly heard different voice, this one in more of a panic, telling her to wake up. Madoka opened her eyes and slowly sat up in a haze. She suddenly got hugged by her boss. "Oh thank goodness your ok I was so worried here clean your nose dear it started bleeding." Her Boss let of Madoka and handed her some tissue. Madoka took it and whipped and her nose as she glanced around and noticed people staring at her. She was still a big foggy. She stood a little wobbly and pushed through the people surrounding her and headed straught to the exist. "Madoka where are you going?" Madoka stopped for a moment. "I just...need some air." She then quickly ran out of the library and down the street. After she felt like she was far enough she stopped running leaning against a wall near the alley way catching her breath. She breathed trying to get her thoughts together. What was that....all those memories I can't even remember what most of them were.....that woman....that was my mother right? What in the world is happening?.....

As she continued to figure out just what the heck that was she noticed a guy coming out of the alley way. She almost dismissed him but she noticed how bad he looked. Did someone jump him? She instantly ran up to him slightly panic. "Hey are you alright? I can help you get to a hospital." In all honesty she probably should just ignored him, who knows what shady business he was in considering he came out of the alley way beat up. But Madoka wasn't the type to just ignore someone who looked like they needed help.

Interacting: Klown Klown
 
dante banner.png
LOCATION: THE CITY, SIDEWALK
WITH: MADOKA [ animegirl20 animegirl20 ]

MENTIONS: ISMENE [ DemiMoon DemiMoon ]

He wished the moon had stayed shielding the sun for a moment longer, the brightness that reflected off the sidewalks straining his eyes. His sunglasses, of course, had been left in tatters. His mismatched eyes held free reign of the views and it stung more than anything. There’s a cold wetness down his nape which he was certain was blood more than it was sweat, though wished for nothing more than to be wrong.

Ismene’s texts pop onto his screen and he squints while reading them, stopping his pace to type a response, only to be interrupted by a young woman inquiring about his wellbeing.

Dante looks at her with searing eyes as if attempting to turn her transparent. To unearth all her motives and intentions hidden or otherwise. He found nothing but a girl asking if he needed help, and it was frustrating. He shouldn’t need the help. It was embarrassing enough that Takara and his men walked free thinking they’d bested him in a fight where he was clearly at a disadvantage.

But as the world swayed under his feet and he stumbled in place just to keep himself steady, Dante managed to convince himself it’d be more embarrassing should he keel over and die in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Yeah,” He voiced hoarsely, the word barely escaping the dry graveness of his throat. “Thanks.” It was the best he could muster in the foggy bleariness that shrouded his brain.

Looking at his phone and seeing he’d yet to answer Ismene, his thumb shakily jumps from key to key as he types his answer.

[ going to hospital ]

It read, without further clarification. His brain could hardly think of which foot he should take his first step with as he and this odd new stranger start towards the nearest hospital. And at her side, he feels the whisper of something familiar tickle the back of his neck, making the small hairs there bristle to attention. But he ignores it like he ignores the blood staining his shirt and the soreness that seized his entire body.
 
Aza did not know the land she had entered, yet knew the language. She understood what the people said as a woman with blazing red hair abd a massive sword appeared. The panic was what she did not get. How long had people been at peace to fear the mere presence of a weapon? Aza had watched from outside the wars of the second generation of humans, yet now after a few steps people fearf what had once been normal.

Aza looked around hidden golden eyes searching from face to face. She saw no one she knew, she didn't see the princess or the scouts. Aza needed to find Anastasia. Aza didn't really know what she would do when she found the princess, but she needed to be by her side again. If the eclipse had been a signal, a release then their enemies would be waking the scouts seeking to end the old war.

The question was where were they? This land could be vast and it was hard to just fond one person even on a small city. Aza would have to let het gut guide her and follow her intuition that had brought her here. In the background of her thoughts Aza was aware of the words if the people shouting to call cops snd decided those must be something like guards. Having to cut down others doing their duty to do hers was nothing new, but it was best avoided if it could be done. In war that was rarely an option and right now it was the only option.

The city was an odd place in place of magic and crystal there was metal and glass. The buildings while tall lacked in imagination and the city was a maze of streets abd allies that lead only to more. The world had lost it's magic it's soul in the devastation abused by Saturn. Aza had never really thought about how much power Saturn held her power has seemingly robbed the system of everything. Still as she moved Aza was discovering a methodology to the madness an order on what at first seemed to be chaos.

Still with no destination in mind Aza was as good as running blind as she ran and jumped through allies and on to buildings. She had only her git to send her through the sprawl. Following this unseen guidance Aza would come to one she knew or thought she did. Phobos it seemed that more than the scouts had been reborn.there was also girl a cute little thing that looked nothing like the cold beauty of Anastasia. Still in that moment Aza knew what she saw she knew who she saw. This was odd to be reborn and look nothing like who you had been.

This was the princess, aza could not even explain how she knew but she did. Aza could guess that phobos was phobos by his looked almost a mirror image. Yet for the princess it was a strange draw. Aza moved to the girl she knew was the princess and knelt. The girl might not remember anything, but that mattered little Aza had found her

"I am sorry it took me so long to locate you princess" Aza said her tone controlled. She was being professional right now as the princess might not remember hiw close they had been.

animegirl20 animegirl20 Klown Klown
 
No reply. She put her phone away and followed after another group of the orchestra club students back out to her parents. "It's not her fault, we're not docking pay," Anna said sternly to Fumio. Fumio grumbled under his breath, but then sighed, "Yes, yes, you're right dear. It's a bit of a setback though.."

"Only a few little things broken," she waved a hand. "It will be fine. Your harp okay, sweetheart?"

"Mmhmm," Ismene have her mother a smile as she brought her bike over. She felt her phone buzz again and pulled it out quickly, her smile immediately faded as worry blossomed in her heart over what she read.

[ going to hospital ]

"I.. need to check on a friend," she looked up apologetically at her parents. Anna folded her arms, "It isn't that Dante again is it?" Ismene looked aside briefly, but then nodded once. Anna sighed, "Ismene, honey, it's really nice of you to look out for that boy all these years. But he's never going to stop getting into trouble. And one of these days he's bound to rope you into it too."

"He's a good guy," Ismene looked back at her mother, her aqua eyes shimmering with concern. "He's just had a harder life. And he's working so hard." She hesitated and clutched her phone in both hands. "I think he might have been seriously hurt by the tremors."

Fumio grumbled, "Anna, let her go check on the boy. We really need to get back to Cicada!" Ismene noted the depiction of boy, even though Dante was a few years her senior. And neither he nor her were kids any more. But Dante had been cemented as 'that boy' by her parents for a long enough time that it still stuck. Anna sighed, "Fine, fine. Just be careful, there might be debris on the roads."

"I'll be careful," Ismene vowed, offering a big smile up to her parents. "I promise." She straddled her bike and tapped a quick text on her phone back to Dante.

[ Meet you there. Stay safe ]

Ismene gave a wave to her parents before zipping off. Her father's voice chased her, "Don't forget, deliveries tonight!" She did the mental calculus. It would be a lot to visit Dante, handle deliveries and make sure she finished her research paper. She'd planned for two of those, plus the concert of course. She hadn't planned a trip to the hospital. That was okay. There was so much to do to fill her mind, other things could wait. It was a good bet that Dante would end up at the University Hospital. It was close to where he worked. Or maybe he'd been on his way to see her concert and ran late. She smiled at that thought. She couldn't ever really help giving Dante the benefit of the doubt.

As she drove along her thoughts did drift a little. It felt familiar, even more than the fact that these were roads that she frequented. Movement. Darting from errand to errand. There was a true sense of resonance there, bringing the strange memories into harmony with her life. She had visions of strange skies and speed, through cities and landscapes far more alien than Sapporo. Yet they did not seem strange to her, as familiar as a coffee shop or noodle house frequently passed by. How could it be that way? The thoughts were terrifying, yet equally alluring - hinting at purpose she couldn't quite define.
 
228690.jpgMadoka gave him a concerned smiled then walked over beside him and let him put his arm around her shoulder so she could help him to the hospital. He didn't really seem thrilled by the help honestly though Madoka wasn't to surprised by that. She glanced at him a couple of times while they were making their way to the hospital she couldn't put her finger on it but there was something familiar about him. She tossed it to be being that she had probably seen him around and left it at that. They walked in silence Madoka didn't really think he had the energy to talk and she wasn't really quite sure what to say to him. And also it had sat in just how attractive this guy was which just made her nervous to speak. Also she was beginning to wonder why she made this poor guy walk all the way to the hospital when she could have just called 911. As they were getting closer to the hospital all of sudden a girl stopped in front of them and knelt before them.

"I am sorry it took me so long to locate you princess"

Madoka stood there for a moment stunned and confused. She blinked then light blush crossed her cheeks from embarrassment. "Um...I-I'm sorry?.....!" Suddenly the realization hit her. "Aza?....." Before she said anymore she stopped herself realizing how strange this probably looks. "Ah haha Aza you...kidder stop playing around and help me get him in to the hospital huh?" Madoka gave her look that said please go along with what I'm saying and don't say anymore.

Interactions: Klown Klown Karcen Karcen
 
dante banner.png
LOCATION: THE CITY, SIDEWALK
WITH: MADOKA [ animegirl20 animegirl20 ] & AZAMUKU [ Karcen Karcen ]

MENTIONS:

Dante was more grateful for the girl’s silence than her guidance; albeit sounding distasteful, he wasn’t in the state of mind to hold any sort of conversation that exceeded one syllable per sentence. So truly, her lack of socialization was proving beneficial.

He trudged alongside her, perhaps humoring her just a tad as she held his arm over her petite shoulders. Dante was well aware of his size even when muddled in delirium; he didn’t want to crush his aid by leaning his weight onto her.

The walk to the hospital wasn’t long, or perhaps Dante had passed out in the midst of it. He couldn’t be sure. It was well in their sights, and he hoped the doctors could remedy him quickly and that the price wouldn’t be absurd. Fortunately, he didn’t have to fear running into his grandfather who stayed safely tucked in a different hospital from the University’s. Dante took a mental note to visit him when he wasn’t battered and bruised, perhaps a call would suffice for now to ensure he was okay.

Their trek is abruptly halted by an odd woman in what Dante could only fathom was a costume. She knelt before his aid in reverence, addressing her as royalty. They were just a few steps to the hospital; couldn’t she have waited to perform her little act after they got there? The gesture evokes a vague flash of something familiar that pierces through his skull, smashing his brain against its walls. A vision of seamless halls and gilded columns. Of armored knights and oaths of loyalty.

Dante’s eyes narrowed both in an attempt to keep his vision steady and to show his disdain for the entire situation without opening his mouth.

The hospital wasn’t as full as he was dreading despite the tremors, which made it all the easier for the nurses to spot Dante blearily walking the fine line of consciousness. They immediately gather around him and unhook him from his aid. To whom Dante gives a gentle pat on the head to, followed by a raspy “thanks” before he’s lead to a room and examined behind a curtain, deliriously pondering over how he could repay a princess.
 
Aza didn't really get why the princess was seemingly trying to play things off. It wasn't like Phobos was uninvolved in all this he was a reincarnation as well. Aza also didn't know why the princess would care she had been a friend but even then she was always distant. Helping Phobos like this was odd given he still had legs as was not bleeding out. The urge to cut off his arm when Aza saw where it was, was rather her to foght given Aza didn't not want anyone but herself to touch the princess.

Phobos didn't have the robustness of yore as he stumbled off the old phobos had seemed tougher, though perhaps it was the cause that gave him strength back then? Still this was good as it was now just her and the princess Aza stood up and found herself having to loom down at the reborn royal.

"He will be fine" Aza said dismissive of their former ally who might not even remember anything. "The more important thing is you, as you are not the only one to awaken our enemies will as well." She said meaning the scouts who no doubt would remember soon " How much do you remember?" Aza asked
 
"Dante Arevik. A-r-e-v-i-k. Tall, lots of tattoos. Piercings, here, here and here." Ismene pointed at her ear, below her lip and to her eyebrow. "Brown hair, reddish at the tips.." she fidgeted with her own silvery blue tips as she said it, drawing attention to the parallel without saying it. The hospital receptionist looked at her screen, barely sparing Ismene a glance. "Right, think he was brought in by.. those two," she gave a bit of a warry glance at Azamuku, particularly the terribly large sword she carried. "Relation?"

Ismene's cheeks colored just a touch, "Um.. I'm a friend."

"Mmhmm," the receptionist nodded and kept tapping on her keyboard. "Looks like he's still being triaged. So if you'll just wait a moment, I'll have someone let you know when he's ready for guests."

"Thank you," only a small sad note touched her tone that she was relegated to waiting to see Dante. She looked over at the pair who the receptionist said brought him in. There was something familiar about them. She blinked. That was odd. She thought she would remember distinctly someone that tall, with a prosthetic arm and a giant sword like that. It seemed more in line with the dream-memories she experienced during the eclipse. Her thoughts swam through those murky memories..

Of course!

She stepped up to them and cleared her throat gently, then bowed her head softly, "Hi. You work at the library, right..?" She looked up at Madoka. Of course that was who was familiar, she'd spent so many hours at the library. She wasn't used to seeing Madoka outside of the library and of course they hadn't exactly talked or anything there. Except maybe polite exchanges about borrowing or returning textbooks. "Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to thank you for bringing Dante here. Is he-"

"Hey sweety!" Ismene was cut off when an older nurse called to her from across the reception. She turned and smiled, lifting a hand just above her shoulder and waving back. "Hi Kiwa!" The nurse glanced down at her chart and gave it a wry look, "Your friend's back up to his old tricks, I see. You can come back with me, dear." She started down the corridor and Ismene turned around and gave both women a quick bob of her head.

"I'm sorry.. and thank you again!" she hurried off, back in motion as seemed a consistent state for her. She followed the nurse to the examination room. Ismene's smile failed her as the nurse pulled the curtain back and she saw just how badly beaten up he was. Her aqua eyes swam and she clutched her hands at her chest.

"Welcome back, Mister Arevik. What exactly happened to you today?" Kiwa asked, consulting her chart.

Ismene swallowed and looked over to her. "It was a scaffolding accident," she lied quickly. "During the eclipse and the tremors, it fell, and he pushed me out of the way. It landed on him.. um.. I panicked a little.." she shrugged and looked away. Kiwa glanced between them, frowned, then shook her head. She didn't necessarily believe Ismene, but she put it down on the report. Ismene knew that whatever the truth was, if Dante told it then maybe the police or a detective would get involved. And that would probably complicate his situation in a way he didn't want. And if she was wrong about that, he could correct her. But he shouldn't have to come up with a lie in such a state.

"Well, aren't we the hero Mister Arevik," Kiwa noted dubiously. Ismene leaned forward but took a short step back when the nurses bustled about tending to his injuries. She wanted to hold his hand, but she would be in the way right now. So, she just watched him, expressing muted care and concern up against a wall in the small examination room. She clutched her arm and held it tight with one hand to help restrain the impulse to go to him. They would just kick her out if she got in their way.

~

Interactions: Karcen, animegirl20, Klown
 
Staring upwards into a night sky, with familiar stars, in a familiar place. An enclosed rose garden, on a green planet where a healthy breeze always blew through the rose bushes, scattering red and pink and white petals all over the ground.

She sat on a marble bench, she hands folded in her lap, eyes closed in contemplative meditation. She knew she was going to receive a guest today. She knew the question that was going to be asked. She knew her answer. She knew… that it would change her whole life.
One of her handmaids approached cautiously, leaning in to whisper that someone was here to see her. She replied with a simple, “I know. Let her in.”

A moment passes after the handmaiden retreats, and then, the guest was announced.
“Entering, Queen Serenity of the Full Moon Kingdom!”
The woman was beautiful. Radiant and glowing as the moon on which she presided. Slender, draped in silver and white, pearls and diamonds.
“Your Majesty.” She said, bowing to the Queen as she approached, which the Queen returned in kind.
“Princess. It is a pleasure to meet you. I suppose, you already know why I’m here, correct?”
“Yes. But for formalities’ sake. Please. Ask your question.”

“Princess …., sovereign of the planet Jupiter. Will you join me on the Moon, as the new Sailor Jupiter?”

“…. Yes.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Sora woke up, her dad was hovering around her frantically while some paramedics looked her over. They flashed some lights in her eyes, which sent a sharp pain into her brain, causing her to groan in pain.

“God, stop it, please, I’m fine!”
“SORA!”

She looked over at her dad as he unceremoniously shoved the paramedic aside and hugged his daughter, weeping.
“Dad, dad- I’m fine dad- dad don’t bother the paramedics please-“
"Young lady,"
The medic spoke up, shoving Gin aside gently, "I just need to finish up my examination and then I'll be out of your hair, okay?"
"Yes, of course, sir- Dad! Back up! Lord!"

With Gin hovering nearby, the paramedic finished his examination of Sora, finding her fine, except for increased blood pressure and heart rate.
"All signs of a panic attack," The medic explained to an overprotective Gin, "Understandable, given what just happened. But she's fine."

Once the paramedic left, Gin continued to fuss over his daughter, insisting on driving her back to her apartment, which she vehemently declined. She was fiiiiine, she could walk. It took some convincing, but eventually, he left. She made her way home for a while, until she passed by the city clocktower, and sat on the steps for a... long time. She held her head in her hands, trying to maintain an even breathing pattern, but she couldn't. All the things she was seeing in her mind, all the memories flowing back. Were they memories? They felt like it. It all felt so real, she could practically feel the petals of the roses in the garden, the silk of fancy gowns, the...
Thinking too hard about it made more pain shoot right into her brain stem.

"Why..... Why am I remembering this now... How do I know if this is real? It can't be real. Because, if it's real, then-"

A battlefield, with bodies scattered across it like they were mere stones under the feet of the approaching army. She stood over it all. Her friends, her sisters in arms, all laid with the bodies of the dead. The princess behind her weeping for the loss of life. Always such a sweet, sheltered girl, she was. Naive. She's never seen something like this before.
Clashing with a hissing dark figure, hand to hand, then blade to meteor hammer, exchanging blow after painful blow so that her charge could get away, only to hear her scream.
Two princesses clash before your very eyes. Thousands of possible futures flash before her eyes as she searches desperately for the best one to guide her next move. But all this was too much.
A blade. Sunk into her back. Pain blossoming and blood flowing, staining the white uniform of her suit. She fell to the ground, coughing and spitting rose-colored saliva as she struggled to crawl to the princess. She stood as her adversary, her killer advanced towards the Full Moon Princess. With a swing of her weapon, a sickening crunch brought an end to her foe. But it wasn't enough. She watched the princess tumble off with her own foe, while she collapsed beside the man whom stabbed her, the one who had killed her, the last thing she saw was his shocked, bloody face. She couldn't see forward. Everything was dark in the future. She... was...


Sora gasped loudly, clutching her chest and gasping for air for a long time. She... How was that possible. It- there-
The young woman continued to gasp and cough, trying desperately to make sense of everything she was seeing. Was she seeing the future? Or the past? Who was she? Was she Sora? Or someone else? What was happening to her? This is all just... a traumatic injury or something, right? PTSD. Hallucinations. Something. ANYTHING but what she knew, deep down, was the truth.
 
dante banner.png
LOCATION: THE HOSPITAL
WITH: ISMENE [ DemiMoon DemiMoon ]

MENTIONS:

Dante stared up at the ceiling, more lucid than in the last few minutes since being jumped in the alley. He lets the nurses puppeteer his every move, briefly answers each of their questions, and reserves to silence when there’s nothing left for him to do but let them work. The blood on his head is cleaned, he’s given a few stitches followed by pain killers and nausea medication, then allowed his rest. He seethes quietly behind the curtain, stewing ways to crush Takara and his brainless men under his boot once he’s recuperated.

When the curtain opened again, the deadly look in his eyes is snuffed and replaced with mild incredulity as he attempts to sit up but is gently urged down by the nurse who begins asking him questions. Ismene stole the question however, answering it through a mouthful of lies that had Dante’s brows furrowing their disapproval at her. Not thinking it enough trouble to refute, he keeps his silence, although the expression on his face was plenty wordy.

Withholding the urge to roll his eyes when doubtfully called a hero, Dante continues as he had been in the earlier check-up, and lets the medical professionals fix him to their best capabilities. Or at the very least, ease the pain. He’s tempted to ask if being hounded by memories of an intergalactic past life were normal when beat over the head, but he was sure they’d respond with a noncommittal ‘it was possibly just a coping mechanism spurred by your jostled brain’.

No television, cell phone, sports, intense socialization or anything requiring his brain and body to exert itself. Although encouraged, his injury wasn’t so severe that he’d have to stay the night (which seemed to puzzle the nurses just as much as it did him), but he was given a follow-up appointment.

As they start to file out, Dante’s gaze locks unyieldingly onto Ismene up against the wall. He was angry at her, though not as angry as he felt he should have been. He understood, of course, that what she did was to help him. He only wished that she didn’t have to.

“Don’t lie for me again.” Dante tries to narrow his eyes or square his shoulders. Show just an inch of resoluteness to his words, but it was futile against Ismene. She’d stuck around long enough to see the little he truly had to offer yet remained at his side. Unable to stay angry at her for long, Dante deflates with a quiet sigh from his nose, the hard edges of his face giving away to exhaustion as he invitingly opens his hand over the side of him on the bed, not feeling like lifting it. “C’mere.” There’s a softer flow to his words, a slip of vulnerability rare to come by. A slight admission of guilt hidden between the letters, knowing that Ismene had worried about him, yet he was acting unforthcoming. “Are you alright?” He’d asked her through text, but felt more comfortable hearing it from her mouth.
 
Considering how bad his injuries looked, it surprised Ismene to hear that Dante wouldn't have to stay overnight. It certainly looked like something would be broken, sprained or torn in such a way to require a more extensive procedure. Dante was tough. She knew that. But it was easy to assume the worst. She let out a slow breath and smiled. It was good news, however improbable it seemed. Her smile faltered at the way Dante initially looked at her. He was angry at her for covering for him. Or was he angry at himself that she felt compelled to? It didn't really matter. Dante's anger could be a fearsome thing, but she knew him long enough and well enough to know it would never be directed in a way at her that she should be afraid of. And so - slip of a thing though she was - she could weather the look and the direct reproach better than many who might be more physically imposing than she could possibly match.

It also helped that he deflated nearly immediately.

"Don't get beat up again," she replied softly. Her tone mingled affection with a sort of quiet resolve, acknowledging the reprimand while delivering her own mild one in rebuke. He could count on the truth that she'd be there for him, even if he didn't listen to her. He could also count on the truth that, though she'd try to respect his wishes, she would do the same to protect him if she felt it right to do so. Soft as spring rain, but not weak. Resolute as a river.

She came when he called and tugged a chair to the side of his bed, seating herself and crossing her legs at the ankles before taking his hand and giving it a light squeeze. She lifted it and leaned down, touching the back of his fingers to her pale cheek and held it there. She took a slow breath, grounding herself in the reality that he was okay. Stilling her worries. "Mmhmm," she answered him with a murmur. After exhaling, she answered properly. "My concert was interrupted. Nobody was hurt. Mom and Dad were worried. Cicada's okay too. I think some broken dishes, nothing serious."

She leaned back a little and searched his features with her aqua gaze. Part of her wanted to ask if he had planned to come to her concert, a selfish little greedy part that desired that bit of special attention, despite his numerous jobs and debts and cares that she knew had to take priority. She wouldn't ask it though. If he hadn't been coming, it would just make him feel badly and she didn't want that. Likewise, there was part of her that knew she would doubt it if he said he had been coming. Or even doubt his resolve to make it, despite being attacked. It was an awful, ugly little selfish thing inside her. Dante was honest with her, as honest as he could be. But she wouldn't be able to still her doubts, so better to leave the question unasked, where it could cause no harm.

"It was strange," she said instead. "The tremors, I mean.. I think I also felt a little bit like.. I'd played there or.. somewhere, something like that before. Déjà vu, I guess? But, that doesn't make sense." She shook her head a little. She hadn't sorted out the strange, dream-like memories that came upon her while she was performing. Her expression clouded with confusion and she shrugged helplessly, unable to quite express what she meant without precision she didn't have right now.

~

Interactions: Klown
 
228690.jpg "Thanks"

The man Madoka helped patted her head in thanks before the nurses pulled him away. She watched as they brought him to a room with a slight blush on her cheeks. There something about his touch that seemed familiar.

"He will be fine"

Madoka blinked as a voice broke through her thoughts. "Huh?" She turned to look at Aza then smiled and laughed a little nervously. "Right haha of course....boy its been a strange day." She said mumbling that last part to herself. There were still alot of things happening that were confusing to her. She was honestly a little unsure of these memories until Aza appeared then everything just seemed right, though she couldn't help but think that she forgetting some very important things.

"The more important thing is you, as you are not the only one to awaken our enemies will as well. How much do you remember?"

"Not much I'm afraid it's strange its like it feels like I remember everything but at the same time it feels like certain things are blocked haha werid right? Anyway I wonder if we should stay or will he be fine by himself." Madoka had a feeling he would but she felt weird just leaving. Just then a girl walked towards her asking if she worked at the library. "Yeah I do." Madoka stared at her as her mind flashed something......Madoka definitely recognized her since she did come to library but....there was something else.....

"Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to thank you for bringing Dante here. Is he-"

A nurse interrupted her and told her she could come on back and see Dante. She then thanked them again and headed down the hall. "No problem!" Madoka said as the girl walked off. "Dante huh?...." Madoka looked at Aza and smiled. "Well come on guess we can head on out. Let's talk more about the past when we get to my home ok? But first I have to stop at the Library and pick up my things." Madoka looked Aza up and down. She was already wondering if Aza could fit into her clothes or not cause there was no way she could continue to walk around like that. Granted people would probably think she was just cosplaying but after a while....people might question it. "Well come on let's go." Madoka then turned assuming Aza was falling or right beside her.

Mentions: Klown Klown
Interactions: Karcen Karcen DemiMoon DemiMoon
 

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