[open] And as you know I have a gigantic heart

[pseudonyms]

Who: Rise Kujikawa and OPEN!
When: 7/19-7/23 (IC) aka event-time!
Where: Various prompts
What: It started with a goat. Then it all just went downhill from there. AKA Rise Kujikawa and the mysterious memories event.
Rating/Warning: N/A for now, will update if needed



[It started with a goat. Honestly, at first she thought that she'd dreamed it, that maybe it was just an extension of the white feathers she saw in her dreams recently but no. She wakes up and there sure is a wispy little goat at the foot of her bed. She stares…and the goat bleats flatly at her. It's a sad-looking thing, but as she tries to get closer it seems to disappear immediately.

Wow. That's weird.]

A.) is for Academy

[It's a normal school day. With everyone back from the dead and her worries a little more at ease, she can concentrate a little easier. It's quiet in the Study Hall period of the day and she's working on some homework when she spots the goat out of the corner of her eye…approaching a wastebasket. She hasn't realized it can't change much of the world around them, but she'll get that memo as soon as she gets up and stealthily tries to approach the animal.

Of course, the goat suddenly moves and it startles her and her arms suddenly pinwheel as she yells, trying to balance on her high heels so she doesn't bite the dust. Are you going to catch her? Let her fall? Fall with her? Sorry about all of that.]

B.) is for Bad Places Rise Shouldn't Wander

[This goat is seriously way more trouble than it's worth. She's not sure where it came from or why it's in such poor condition, but she's taken to following it around the colony to make sure it doesn't get too far out of her sight. It's for that reason she doesn't even realize she winds up right in the middle of the Pleasure District. The goat's paused, and if it's possible it gives her a knowing look despite its lack of real expression.

(Is it possible that this goat knows about her dungeon?)

She ends up in a staring contest with the goat, narrowing her eyes when she realizes she's standing in front of a love hotel.]

Don't even think about it. [She sure was talking to the goat, but it's not that hard to overhear her.]

C.) is for Cafe

[Everything is exhausting. She's sprawled over a chair almost ungracefully and that goat hovers around near her feet, but at least its not moving. On occasion, she'll be writing neat lines in a notebook and sipping her tea, though she frowning in concentration. There's an extra chair at her table though. Feel free to ask if you can join her or even be nosy about what she's doing, she won't mind.

On the other hand, if you're a friend or even someone she recognizes, she'll look up and smile brightly before pushing the chair out with her foot.]

Hey, over here!

D.) is for Dancing Games

[Sometimes Rise likes to play games. Sometimes Rise likes to use the game station to practice and when she gets bored of dancing in her room this is the next best thing. However, she's found at the game center today in front of one of the dancing games, and as she watches the colorful arrows fall across the screen she's continually missing and whines in frustration.]

Ugh, come on! This should be really easy! [And it would be…if she actually remembered how to dance. It's like all memories and coordination have left her and she's left trying really hard to fix that. Help her? Challenge her? Question her?]

E.) is for Everything Else!

[If you want to run into her while she's out shopping, at work as a model/karaoke star/tofu connoisseur, or if housemates want to do apartment shenanigans here you go!]

[ooc: ALSO if you have a preference on your type of memory please let me know! Otherwise I will be randomizing. Thank you!]

Comments

B comes in 10 yrs later

[sortileges]

[ Really, this meeting is a little more delayed than he would have liked (mostly because he had returned in her apartment, then bailed but still, it wasn't exactly appropriate to stick around when she obviously needed to speak to Yu first and foremost and he had places to be as well) but it does mean that despite obviously rushing through the district to get back, he does stop when he sees Rise talking to... herself?

Behind him is his own little fox friend, though it seems to be keeping close to his own feet for now, ducking down whenever it can to keep hidden. It's fine though, he's not really had to pay too much attention to it just yet.

The words she's saying are a bit of a worry though, given what she's standing in front of. Ah. ]

I reallllly hope you aren't thinking about it.

[pseudonyms]

[Hello Merlin, nice of you to join her in this completely terrible set of circumstances! Yu had told her he woke up with Merlin and someone else when they'd all come back to the colony but she hasn't seen Merlin herself up until now. This really wasn't what she was planning on, but. You know.

She can't see the fox but the goat can and there's an annoyed-sounding bleat from it. It's in an apartment full of foxes, why is there now another?]

Merlin! [She. At least has the decency to blush a little bit.] Of course I wouldn't really think about something like this. It looks pretty...[Gross? She knows how these places are. But let's turn this around to tease him instead! (She'll get to the "it's good to see you back!!!" part shortly.)] Don't tell me you are though.

[sortileges]

[ Always, Rise, always. That's what friends do, right?! Though he's kind of in the same boat. He just hasn't had much time to catch up with everyone yet, but he was on the way back from his poker dealing job which is spread out across various venues when he sees her. ]

Riiiiiight. Because this would be the first place I'd think of going after everything that's happened.

[ Don't be sassy to your friends, punk. ] Did you get lost?

[pseudonyms]

[She makes a face at him because yeah, don't be so sassy! But considering, she can forgive him for it.]

You could say that. It's been a pretty weird morning. [She looks up at him though and smiles slightly.] It's good to see you...are you doing okay?

[sortileges]

[ But he's usually sassy...!!! ]

Just another lovely day here, right? [ Though she'll notice how his gaze slips from hers a bit, but he's... still smiling? ]

Oh, I'm great! Well, mostly. I had to make up for missing a few days work.

[ In the pleasure district???? Well, apparently. ] What about you?

[ Just avoids the Talk tbh ]

[pseudonyms]

[Goddamnit what is with you idiot fire boys and avoiding these talks. She raises both eyebrows, trying to think over all of Merlin's jobs and why the hell he'd be here. But...that's not the strangest thing she's heard so she nods.]

Didn't you just get back though? I think they could have let you take a day or two off. [Not that she'd do that...and she thinks Merlin's pretty stubborn. She looks back at her goat that's eyeing Merlin carefully, approaching at its slow and lumbering pace. So to try and prevent it from reaching her friend, Rise winds up taking a step closer to Merlin to block the goat. (That'll go well, probably, said no one ever.)] I've never been here before so I thought I'd drop in before work...? [Eheh.] I got a little lost, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. It's pretty easy to enter one district from another when you're walking isn't it?

[sortileges]

[ It's just part of their natures?! Who knows. But at least she's accepting it. ]

Well, I kind of need the money. [ One never can have enough when dating Athena Cykes tbh. Really though, he's fine with getting back to normal. ] And it's better than just moping at home, isn't it? [ It really won't go well, but this is okay. Thankfully his fox is skittish enough to stay buried behind his feet as they haven't moved since he stopped to chat with her. ]

If you aren't paying full attention it is, anyway. Which direction were you heading in? I'll walk with you.

[pseudonyms]

[Okay that's a good point. Sorry about your life choices, Merlin. At least one of their animals is behaving seeing how the goat's not stopping anytime soon.]

Who said anything about staying at home? Even when I take days off I'm rarely home. [She smiles again, tucking some hair behind her ear. At least Merlin's letting her off the hook with this one.] I was going to head back to the shopping district. I wanted to pick up some stuff for Yu-senpai and Dipper. [Now...that they're back.] As tempting as it is to let Dipper keep eating poptarts I don't think that's a good idea.

[Granted, having a goat suddenly headbutt Merlin isn't a good idea either but that's happening.

Surprisingly, the memory that Merlin receives isn't one from home, but rather he'll find himself on the couch in an apartment, looking straight on at Yu Narukami. He'd caught her on her way out of the apartment. She's excited to spend time with him, energy buzzing brightly as she settles in. She's only been in the colony for a few days. She can't really think of what Yu would need to tell her.

Of course, it doesn't take long for her to understand.

"... there was someone I met, a few months ago."

It's heartbreaking to hear Yu explain things about Minato-san, but she does her best not to let it show. Shoulders back and head up, she says her piece and quietly walks out the door. As the door closes, the memory ends.]

[sortileges]

[ Exactly... it's okay, there are a lot more good points and the way he earns money is a bit shady. At least in these parts. W/e. But ah... what a naughty goat. ]

Well, I mean after everything. [ "Everything" meaning death, of course. ] For food or? [ A beat: ] And what are poptarts? They sound gre--

[ Only he cuts off half way through when the goat decides it's headbutting time. He spaces out instantly as the memory takes hold. It's easy enough to recognise the apartment. To recognise where he is, who he's (she's) talking to. But the topic isn't one he expected.

She might not be letting it show, but it's her memory. Her thoughts and feelings in the open here and when the memory ends he reaches out for her shoulder. Hopefully it isn't too much of a surprise when he tugs her into a hug. ]

[pseudonyms]

[The mystery of poptarts is going to have to wait because that goat's throwing Merlin into a memory, that wave of vertigo is hitting her hard and fast and for a moment she sways on her feet as she tries to see past it. However, she doesn't expect Merlin to touch her shoulder, nor does she expect the hug.

It's not entirely unpleasant, but she's a little curious just what that's for.]

...Merlin? [It's questioning, something to ask without accusing him of anything. She doesn't quite know what he's seen but she can only imagine.] It's okay. [Whatever it is. It's okay.]

[sortileges]

[ He'll have probably forgotten until they get to the supermarket (if they make it there) to be honest. He doesn't say anything for a long minute while she just ends up standing there. It's... something he shouldn't really know about which is why he hesitates. He feels a little guilty for helping Yu back when they both got a bit drunk and Yu drunk dialled Minato but that's... something else.

This needs to be about Rise. ]

How long have you had feelings for him? [ He asks it quietly though, keeping her huddled in because he has no idea how she'll react and if she does get upset (he has no idea, he's just... used to a Certain Girl crying on him half the time) he doubts she'll want people to see. ]

[pseudonyms]

[…a…h. She seems to tense up suddenly because that's definitely not something people should be privy to. It's humiliating in a way to know that Merlin was the lucky one to see Yu reject her, to break the news as gently to her as possible and still eat at her. The question isn't one she expects.

On the bright side, she's not likely to cry. Crying's been done months ago after Yu first told her, and crying's been done over other things. She's upset, sure, but it's more of a defeated sort of upset. (And somewhere in the back of her head she thinks it's nice that Merlin cares enough to ask.)]

Months, I guess? [She tries to sound as though it's not a big deal but…it is. Months. Months since he rescued her, months since they became a team…it's been a long time, not to mention the time together in Cerealia. She shrugs lightly anyhow.] Yu-senpai is one of those guys that's really easy to like. It wasn't surprising someone else noticed, too.

[sortileges]

[ Of course it's humiliating, but he's already lived through Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere's love triangle, he can live through this. And he does care, Rise is a good friend, even if they might not know each other too well or for too long yet. He still is her friend. ]

Sorry. It can't have been easy. [ Finding out about Minato. A boy that stole her love's heart from her. He doesn't know if Yu would have liked her back had Minato never happened... but they're from the same world. It's possible. ] If you ask me though, he's an idiot. [ He pulls back to give her a smile then, hands shifting to her arms, giving them a gentle pat. ] He'd be lucky to have you.

[ Here 2 be ur homie ]

[pseudonyms]

[It's enough. It's enough that she laughs gently even as she looks up at him, ignoring the wave of dizziness and still able to smile her way through it because it's nice to think that maybe it's true. Maybe Yu is an idiot for saying no, but...]

I want him to be happy no matter what. Even if he wouldn't be happy with me, that's what I want for him. It's been hard, I think, now that Minato-san's gone. You know Yu-senpai. He cares about people a lot. [...] But is it wrong to be a little wary of Minato-san coming back?

[sortileges]

[ When she smiles, his own smile only widens, glad that she doens't look so down about it. ]

You're a nice person, that's why. I know, though. [ Despite his calm exterior, despite how he held together when both himself and Hyoubu fell apart shows a great strength despite that though. ]

I... Maybe. [ He chews on the corner of his lip then. ] It's rare that people come back and remember their time here, isn't it? Either way... it wouldn't be easy.

[pseudonyms]

[If anyone would know, it'd definitely be Merlin.]

When Yu-senpai disappeared he came back and remembered everything and he remembered even more stuff from home. Dipper, too. Is it really that rare as they say it is?

[sortileges]

[ Ah... ]

I'm not so sure. I read someone, I don't remember her name, asking if anyone knew her before so she could know what the "other her" got up to. I didn't speak to her about it though because it was probably from before I was here.

...Most of the time, they just don't come back.

[ Which is the side he's more familiar with, honestly. ]

[pseudonyms]

At least they aren't being sacrificed anymore, you know? [She hopes, anyway.] That altar we found was destroyed last time I heard. So they're all just in that Nexus thing. Do we know if that's even safe?