imeeji_frontstage | i want pancakes so bad you guys

[raven's been anticipating a bad memory lately, so he's been reluctant to take any. he knows he can't put it off any longer, however, and he loads one up--and sure enough, there it is. he watches his most painful childhood memory, being murdered by demons and being helpless to stop it, watching his childhood home burn down... and when it's over, he's tense and breathing hard through his nose. he wants nothing more than to hide away somewhere by himself and lick his wounds, but... but... he's so tired of this feeling. he has to keep moving forward. with a rough noise like a growl, he loads up another memory.

this next one is more normal, but there's something peculiar about it. of course, so many things have happened and changed since his time in imeeji, and his own feelings about nero and vergil have changed as well...

he loads up another one. at first he's confused--not just from griphon and shadow admitting they actually like him, but also from the revelation that he knows what urizen's weakness is. urizen needs him? he's stunned by this, and his head is spinning with different possibilities, and the realization is so close--he has to know more. he has to see it for himself.

so he loads up one more: the final confrontation with urizen, and his rejoining with vergil. raven watches with wide eyes, and when the cane comes down and stabs through urizen's chest, he gasps and clasps a hand over his chest, like he was the one being skewered. and that's it; the truth of his purpose--his true strength. raven breathes heavily, eyes still wide and staring up like he's reliving those last few moments over and over.]

[It's been a while. Serenity isn't sure she wants to go too crazy... but a few memories wouldn't hurt.

First is a scene with her friends "fighting" over a game of cards while they eat lunch. It's a happy one that brings a smile to her face. And convinces her to buy another.

The second surprises her; bringing her to tears. But they're good tears. Very good tears.]

[Someone's first memory is a doozy.

TL;DR he raves conspiracy theories at a woman he's holding at knifepoint because she saw a painting. This continues until he accuses her of sleeping with his father, at which point she runs screaming.]

Oh. That's... oh.

[Time to roll the memory gacha!

The first memory is of exploring the country where murder is permitted. It's a small, peaceful country, and the only thing that seems especially off is the townspeople's insistence that there might be a time when they need to kill another person, and that people like Kino who are able to kill other people are best suited to the country. Even then, the people are pleasant and note that the country itself is a good place to relax compared to the dangers of the road.

The second memory is of a younger Kino riding Hermes back to their home and describing their day at school. They're being taught by a kind woman on how to make a bag and then a bomb to be concealed in the bag. None of this seems at all weird to Kino or Hermes. Once they arrive home, their Master instructs them to practice shooting at some scarecrows, which Kino does while on the moving motorrad and manages to hit vital locations each time. Afterwards Master asks how Kino's first day of school went as they go inside for dinner.

The third memory has Kino on a grassy mountain, returning to Hermes after checking some thirty bodies of adults and children who died of poisoning when they set up camp next to the road. Kino suspects they mistook the herbs on the mountain for a similar type that grows at lower altitudes, not realizing the mountainous varieties are poisonous. A cloud blows over them, obscuring their vision completely, and Kino and Hermes philosophize on whether or not it would be better to simply stop seeing such things, and how it can't really be helped if you never come across the one piece of information that might be key to saving your life.]

...

So Master really did send me to go to school with domestic terrorists...

[Their tone isn't terribly surprised.]

[Time for some MEMORY SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS. Stiletto decides to buy as many memories as she can afford - there are things at the edge of her mind that bother her more and more lately, after all. Maybe this time she can find an answer.

The first memory is... grisly. Stiletto watches a girl with a red streak in her hair, who has appeared in her earlier memories, get vored by her clothes and transformed into a monster accompanied by a shower of blood. A blonde-haired girl with pigtails and a parasol watches and laughs.

The second memory once again has Stiletto just observing things: an enforcer of hers, it seems, beating up someone for stealing a uniform. He then forces everyone in the academy, which Stiletto seems to run, to salute her.

The third memory is cuter - Stiletto and her childhood friend are back again, even if Stiletto is very solemn still. Her childhood friend promises to stay with Stiletto forever and ever.

The fourth memory has Stiletto kind of breaking into her (very fancy schmancy rich) mansion's basement to steal clothes. She is very determined about it.

The fifth memory... does give her answers. A lot. All of them, in fact. The only thing she doesn't find out is her name. But she does find out about her mother's evil plans to sacrifice the world to aliens, her experiments on her two daughters, Stiletto's sister who was killed just about as soon as she was born (for being an unsuccessful experiment), the giant alien in their basement, her father's impending death for daring to go against her mother and the fact that once he's dead it will be up to Stiletto to save the world. No pressure, huh?

After the memory finishes, Stiletto spends some time simply glaring at the table in front of her. That sure was a lot to take in, and even more to think about going forward.]

[The single memory is that of Zero and Yuuki quietly reflecting on their wedding ceremony, otherwise secret to the rest of the world.]
_________

[He's smiling to himself when the memory ends. Despite the somber undertones, it couldn't be sweeter, now that Yuuki has returned.]

If only they were there, hm.

[Kaien (the Chairman), among others.]

Edited 2021-05-13 09:59 (UTC)

[In this memory, Hyacinth appears to literally shrug off being stabbed through the heart in his sleep? Also he gives someone a power called a Blood Sin.]

Ehh, is that how it went...? Still wonder what mister "beacon of light and purity" did exactly, though.

[He takes a drink from a bottle.]

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