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]

[ are you going to keep patting his head!!!! ]

[avestan]

[oh yeah that's a thing

stops]

[maidenheaven]

[ zzz

zz

z



picks his head up ]

[avestan]

Sorry about that.

[maidenheaven]

[ slowblink ]

—ah.

It's fine.

[ man that is something dangerous. very easily abusable. shit ]

[avestan]

[it sure is!]

So, uh. What do you wanna do now?

[maidenheaven]

[ considering the question for a moment, pulling the pillow closer ]

. . .

Just being with you two right now. . . would be fine.

[avestan]

Then you're in luck, 'cause we're not going anywhere.

[snuggles up to him]

[maidenheaven]

[ reaching out to hold onto him with one hand, eyes closing briefly ]

. . .

Did you go into anyone else's dreams?

[avestan]

...Yeah. I was in Glory's, and I think maybe Req and Wataru's? Those feel a bit more vague.

[maidenheaven]

Ah—I think I was in Requiem-san's, too. . .

[ with a little frown as he says that, eyebrows knitting ]

How were they?

[avestan]

[shrug]

I don't think anything bad happened. Glory's, at least, didn't seem too upsetting to her either.

[maidenheaven]

So it was just mine, then?

[ l. laughs a little but it's not funny ]

[avestan]

[not laughing]

...Mm.

[maidenheaven]

[ stops, quiet for a bit ]

Sorry.

[avestan]

It's okay. I forgive you, remember?

[maidenheaven]

[ no that is deeply upsetting to hear at this current juncture

he doesn't say anything in response, squeezing his hand a little tightly while his lip trembles ]

[avestan]

...It's okay if you need to cry some more.

[maidenheaven]

[ mumbled ]

I don't want to. . .

[avestan]

Okay.

[...]

I'm sorry.

[maidenheaven]

[ scrubbing at his eyes with his free hand ]

Why—?

[avestan]

In your dream. I got you upset 'cause I didn't get what it was about.

[maidenheaven]

Ah?

[ considering . . .

considering . . .

considering . . . ]

. . . It's fine. It was just a dream.

[avestan]

The stuff you feel is real, though.

[maidenheaven]

[ idly, squeezing and relaxing against his hand for a few moments ]

Mmm.

[ . . . ]

Later. . .

[ slowly, quietly, with a tension as though his voice might break if he spoke any louder ]

Let's. . . ride the train, and find a new secret spot out in the city. Let's watch movies, and talk about nonsense, and just sit together.