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

[maidenheaven]

Something like that.

[ with a little crack to his voice before he scrubs at his face again ]

[innerdaemons]

Well! All dreams must come to an end, hmm?

I hope yours are at least pleasant when you do choose to sleep.

[maidenheaven]

Perhaps if I could have pleasant dreams, then this would not have been so painful—

. . . No, I would prefer not to have them. So it's just simply unfortunate happenstance that I would be forced to have one now.

[innerdaemons]

If you do ever wish for something more pleasant I can always offer my services!

1/3

[maidenheaven]

I d—

[maidenheaven]

[maidenheaven]

. . .

Perhaps. . . sometime—I'll keep that in mind. Thank you.

[innerdaemons]

[ a little blink. ]

Did I offend you in some way...?

[maidenheaven]

No—my apologies, it's just. . .

Quite a lot has happened—so I'm feeling a bit sensitive right now. Thank you, again, for the offer.

[innerdaemons]

Well! My apologies for offending, in any case, but I do hope you keep it in mind regardless.

[maidenheaven]

I apologize as well, for my short temper.

. . . if I decide to, I'll let you know.

[ there's a pause ]

Did you have a nice time yourself. . . ?

[innerdaemons]

Well.

I accomplished what I set out to do!

[maidenheaven]

That would be—

Waking up your loved ones?

[innerdaemons]

Yes, albeit in a rather dramatic fashion.

[maidenheaven]

[ with a soft barely-laugh ]

A dramatic fashion is better than an anticlimactic moment, wouldn't you think?

[innerdaemons]

I'm not certain my unitmates would agree.

[maidenheaven]

. . . Just how dramatic were you?

[innerdaemons]

I destroyed their "dream" world.

1/2

[maidenheaven]

[maidenheaven]

Yes, I can see how that would be divisive.

[innerdaemons]

Of course! I did only have the best of intentions, however.

[maidenheaven]

Was it worth their broken hearts?

[innerdaemons]

[ he frowns. ]


... I believe -- I may have erred in that respect.

[maidenheaven]

. . . This was a cruel game for them to host—to have us pitted against each other, such that we would have to be the villains even in rescuing those from our sleep. It would be crueler than anything that they could do to us directly—to have our loved ones break our hearts is devilish, as expected from Hell.

With that in mind. . . If you find it weighing upon your conscience, then it must have been grave indeed.

What will you do?

[innerdaemons]

[ he exhales -- ]

It is not a particularly kind game -- but not many of them are, hmm?

I shall have to work on regaining their trust.