Ideal World Endgame

[idolpro]

Who: Beautiful dreamers
Where: The Game Tower
When: Day 271, morning

[When you wake, the folding chairs and divans from before have all been cleared away. You're lying asleep on the floor, healed of all injury.]

[You remember the events of the worlds you've visited as though visions seen in a dream -- though for those of you torn from your perfect existence, there is an ache inside you which will not fade for some days... the pain of something precious that has been lost.]

[Out beyond the windows of the tower, the sky is no longer a perfect blue; the vegetation is no longer as lush and inviting.]

[The view is of Tokyo-F, exactly as it's always been.]

[Near the far wall, there is an open book on a pedestal. The pages are empty. It is titled GUEST BOOK, and a pen waits nearby.]

GUEST BOOK | SOUVENIRS | WINNERS

Comments

[iamverybadass]

[ Talon's uninjured, but his breath is pretty thick with smoke now. At least he's staying downwind. ]

Rye?

[protectshisown]

[He looks up and considering Talon's work, he maaaay pick up on Rye, while being physically fine, does have a bit of a haunted look of seeing hell.]

[But then Concern.] Were you in more than one dream too?

[iamverybadass]

Too? How many other dreams were you in, Rye?

[ Just gonna sidestep that question entirely ]

[protectshisown]

So that's a yes for you.

Three dreams total. Scythe, Izanagi, and Luci. [I have had a Time.] I wasn't hurt. [Unless Something Happens, not a lie.]

[iamverybadass]

We are focusing on you right now.

Physical harm is only one of my concerns when it comes to Lucifel, so do not think you can downplay that.

[protectshisown]

[Rye deliberately looks around at All The People.]

All the more reason to not talk now. I don't need immediate attention.

[iamverybadass]

[ Talon follows his gaze around the crowd, settling back on Rye after a moment ]

A fair concern. When we're home, then.

[protectshisown]

Thank you.

How many?

[iamverybadass]

Just two. The second was Yvette, and I'll be discussing that with her later. You do not need to concern yourself with it.

[protectshisown]

You say while doing an impressive smothering smokebreath impression.

[He sighs.] I don't think anything that happened is going to lessen my concern tendencies. [And then reaching over to ruffle his hair.]

[iamverybadass]

[ Puffs a smoke ring at him, but he makes no move to avoid that ruffle ]

You can worry when sparks start appearing in it. I can manage this much easily enough.

[protectshisown]

[He blows at the smoke the break the ring, sticking out his tongue at him momentarily. The most mature.]

So fire hazard is the danger point.

[iamverybadass]

The flames themselves are never dangerous, but I have noticed they only appear when something is immediately and seriously wrong.

[protectshisown]

A stress response maybe? I know it can happen with dragons.

[iamverybadass]

It would certainly be a fitting curse if that is the case.

[protectshisown]

Any particular reason?

[iamverybadass]

Because I hate it.

[protectshisown]

[He snorts and laughs.]

[It's. Got a tired and slightly manic edge to it. Not a worrying amount, it's just Been A Day.]

[iamverybadass]

[ Sighs and rocks back on his heels, hands stuffed in his pockets ]

Let's get home. We can't let Scythe beat us there.

[protectshisown]

...yeah, had the talks I need too. [We'll say he did anyway.]

[iamverybadass]

Hm...

How did you and Lucifel meet, by the way?

[protectshisown]

Luci was the one who reattached the hand when I visited SensitIV. [Holds up the restored hand. No scar on his wrist and everything.]

She-he-was...very interesting.

...also I guess not a mute.

[iamverybadass]

He's...unique. Though this is the first I've heard of him playing at being mute.

[protectshisown]

He spent the whole time doing gestures or writing on his phone.

[He had an injured throat, but what is knowing that.]

...he's kind of weird, but...I think we have a lot in common.

[iamverybadass]

I believed that I had a lot in common with him once, and then I learned that he once opened the scars of every person here because he thought it would avoid a "greater" disaster.

I would have died on the spot had I been here for that event. Many people did.