[OPEN] all of our friends were here

[covenantal]

Who: Yu Narukami covenantal & you!
When: IC 7/19 - 7/23, the duration of the event.
Where: Out and about, listed below.
What: Like more than a few, Yu’s coping with dying, the fact that he can’t touch anyone (or anything warm) without seeing a memory, and a ghostly new fox companion that has some ideas of its own (like sharing the plot of Persona 4 with you!).
Rating/Warning: Possible mentions of death and gore.

---

[ A. when you say you won't forget me ]

[ Yesterday was a long day.

Catching up with his roommates was the hardest. Rise had burst into sobs the moment she'd seen him. Dipper had been cautious and quiet and tried to brace him, which he shouldn't've ever felt like he had to. And Yosuke... Yosuke had been Yosuke, pulling him into his arms and clinging on like that was the difference between life and death, like he could go back and unwrite the explosion that had taken them all out by force of his grip alone.

But he'd learned one thing from Rise and Yosuke, and especially from Yosuke: weird things happen when he touches people, now. And it's not just people. When he'd finally gotten to take a shower to wash off the grime of the prison, it'd happened again. Memories. Important ones.

Figuring out the common link between three wasn't that hard, so today he's outside on his CereVice, making a call to his boss trying to explain why he's not coming to work. It doesn't seem to be going well. He sounds apologetic, but also distracted, which likely explains why he happens to bump arms with you as he passes. This probably wouldn't be a big deal, but it makes Yu miss a step and drop his CereVice as the memory takes hold. ]

[ B. well I can tell you that's untrue ]

[ It's when the fox appears next to his bed that things start getting even stranger.

He spends some time trying to coax it towards him after a brief period of just watching it curiously, and when that fails, he decides to go about his day instead. Despite the fact that getting within ten feet of it gives him a splitting headache, he heads to Ardeo's shrine to see if that will put his fox more at peace, but it doesn't seem to do much of anything. At another time, he tries a cafe, and ends up trying to tempt his fox with bits of food. To any passers by, it will seem as if he's offering food to nothing, though he doesn't seem to mind if anyone stares. ]

I'm not going to hurt you.

[ he says to the fox, which still won't look at him, and in fact tries to duck under a nearby chair. Yu shakes his head and gets to his feet. If anyone's watching, he'll offer an apologetic smile. ]

Sorry about that. He seems pretty shy.

[ C. cause every day since you left me ]

[ The foxes are pretty skittish by nature. Yu's continual attempts at being friendly don't seem to help his very much; in fact, it just keeps ducking away whenever he tries. Unfortunately for Yu, this happens more than once when he's out in public. Though you might hear a wait! and see a concerned looking teenage boy, what you won't see is the fox that's just darted behind your leg and curled its tail around your calf. ]

[ C1. ]

[ Pick this option if you want a good, happy, or light-hearted memory of any kind! These memories can either be from his canon or from Cerealia; feel free to specify which, but otherwise, the memories will be random. ]

[ C2. ]

[ Pick this option if you want a bad, depressing, or painful memory of any kind! These memories can either be from his canon or from Cerealia; feel free to specify which, but otherwise, the memories will be random. ]

[ D. I've thought less and less of you ]

[ By the end of the week, Yu is noticing something very wrong.

There's something he can't remember.

And the only reason he knows that is because of a picture.

His roommates might find him sitting on the couch in their apartment staring at it with a troubled look on his face, but he doesn't stay for very long. A profound restlessness drives him out and into the park, where he wanders for a while, only belatedly realizing he accidentally brought the picturing with him.

Eventually, he settles beneath a tree that's near a pond. His fox is nearby, but not too close, curled up in a tight and unhappy ball. He sits with his legs crossed and his fingers laced, his thumb idly tracing the side of his hand as he stares out over the water. The picture frame is in his lap. ]

Comments

D because i'm a little shit

[dereban]

...

[ Inaba is quiet; very much so. There are memories that she can't remember, things that are probably important, most likely because she feels that gap. But then she sees that expression on someone familiar. Which means it's time to put her own problems on the backburner.

And by that, we mean she's going to attempt and sneak up and spook him. ]

Boo. [ Attempt made. ]

A

[meowbel]

[Ever since Dipper came back home, Mabel wasn't the only one who felt a little off. With their apartment being ever so gloom, all Mabel wanted to do was go out and forget about what happened! It was better than just sitting around and doing nothing!

In the middle of getting ready to go outside, that's when she happened to spot Yu nearby. At first, she wasn't sure if he wanted someone to talk to but that thought quickly disappeared.

Duh, of course he wanted somebody to talk to! Why wouldn't anybody after what happened?]

Hey, Yu! You busy for today, I was thinki- [However, when he bumped into her, that's when she heard the sound of the device dropping to the ground. But when she looked up?]

Uh....Yu? Yu? Yu okay over there?

c2 why would i want anything but pain

[coastal]

[She hears the wait! and she recognizes that voice so like.

She does. Even though she's not sure what to expect at all.

But oh boy the fox has definitely got her in its sights and is curling around her leg rather easily and all she manages is a very confused start.]

What?

c2 for your joy...

[manolia]

[[let me know if you want a memory of Chibi's as well!]]

[Chibi is minding his business, grocery shopping, when he hears a 'wait!' (Ah, it is that Narukami kid, isn't it?) Almost automatically, he springs a portal in front of him to intercept whoever he thinks is going to come barreling into him...]

[But no - there is the sensation of wakfu brushing against his ankle, though when he looks, there is nothing there... And then there is an experience upon his body, vivid and bright, that is not his own. The portal, of course, drops.]

c2

[fittedgloves]

[ Kyouko immediately recognizes Yu's voice, stopping short and turning around to give him a curious glance.

Because she can't see the fox wrapping its tail around her leg, Kyouko wonders just what Yu might want. ]

...Narukami-kun?

C1, the Nose Knows. Somewhere

[faithfulflame]

[Rei'd just gone out to get a few things for the house after work, and she'd been doing a good job of avoiding trouble with her own little fox. However, that didn't mean she could see anyone else's, and it was difficult to be careful of something you can't see.

It doesn't help that she hears Yu's call a little too late, and...that's about when the vision strikes.]

W-What?!

b!

[trueend]

[Just a boy and his weirdly smoke-like fox companion. Nothing to see here.

Literally.

This scene would be less confusing to Frisk if they could actually see who Yu is trying to offer food to. Seeing as they can't, they're just going to... tilt their head at him. Slowly.]

... "He"?

B

[zerotohiro]

[..uh huh. Okay. This is fine. This is fine? This is fine!!! Hiro's actually working at said-cafe gathering up dishes to take them back to the kitchen when he sees Yu offering food to nothing and also talking to himself. It's official. Everybody's lost it, and the little dove coos behind him loud enough that Hiro jumps even as he looks at Yu.]

Uh, dude? Did you...finally crack or...?

B

[lethechained]

[ Naminé is not, in fact, watching. ]

[ At the moment, she happens to have her head cradled in her arms which are resting on the table in said café, face down and in the process of doing an impression of someone who, you know, actually gets to sleep this month. But at the sound of Yu's voice she begins to stir - was she even sleeping in the first place? - and by the time he's done apologizing, she's dragging her head into a more or less upright position, blinking tired eyes as she naturally seeks out the source. It isn't too hard to find him, but judging by the way she squints for a second or two, she's still attempting to process what he said in the first place, regardless of whether it was actually directed at her or not. ]

[ The sound that she makes can only be described as follows: ]

Wzzuh...?

[ Heaven only knows where her goat's gotten to. ]

[covenantal]

[ She does manage to startle him a little bit out of his thoughts, though he doesn't exactly jump up. His shoulders jolt, but the way he turns to look up at her is otherwise normal. He blinks at her in owlish surprise, and then smiles crookedly. ]

Hey, Inaba-san. Out for a walk?

[covenantal]

[ For a long moment it's like he's not even there. He doesn't look at her, doesn't seem to see her, doesn't acknowledge the voice of his none-too-happy voice still coming from his CereVice.

"Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you. Let's see...I'm your mother's younger brother...and that about sums it up."

"It's been a long time."

"I'll say. You've really grown. I still remember when you were in diapers... This here's my daughter. Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin."

"... lo."

She's hiding behind Dojima's leg, peering up at you with big, serious eyes, clearly a little unsure of you. You wonder what it's going to be like, spending a year with these two...

With a sudden huff Yu blinks and shakes his head out, abruptly registering where he is and what he's doing. ]

... Mabel?

[ With a sigh he picks up his CereVice. ... his boss hung up. Ah well. He'll have to deal with that later. Slipping the CereVice into his pocket, he smiles at Mabel and straightens. ]

Sorry about that. I got pretty lost in my thoughts.

[covenantal]

[ He won't get a chance to answer before the world dissolves around her.

What she'll see instead is something horrifying. It looks like a battlefield, shrouded in heavy fog and darkness. She'll find herself standing on a platform flanked by others - teenagers. Some she may recognize. Rise stands in the back, Kanzeon behind her and the Persona's visor over her face, calling out tactics and helping the party with boosts. There's a sword in Lili's hand, heavy, the hilt of it slick with sweat. There's screaming. The people around her are screaming.

Before her is a monster, garish, impossibly tall, all bloody bones and malevolence that rolls off of it in waves. It's a god. It's the goddess Izanami. She'll simply know this, the same way she'll know she's been struggling against it for what feels like hours and has come so, so close to the end, but now...

Goodbye, the monster said, in a monster voice, calm and implacable.

Accept the reality of your death.

The monster gestured, lifting skeletal arms, and ghostly, ghastly black hands had whipped up from the ground around Lili. And she'd heard a cry, someone yelling Not a chance! and felt someone barrel into her, knocking her out of the way. The hands took him - Yosuke - instead. She'd reached for him, crying his name, Yosuke, no!, but he was gone, dragged into the darkness, and it swallowed his scream.

It happens to the rest. Hands take Yukiko, and Lili will get to hear Chie screaming her name over and over before the hands take her too. The hands try to take Lili again, and with a cry of Look out! another friend, tall, blond, built like a tank, will shoulder check her out of harm's way, and he'll be devoured by the curse.

Everyone is screaming,

until they aren't,

because they're gone, and Lili's the only one left.

It's unfortunate that our battle must end this way...

Lili finds herself looking up. It's like the universe is painted behind this monster goddess, only in hues of sickly red. It's the last thing she'll see before black hands are curling around her, obscuring her vision, and pulling her down into the dark. ]

[meowbel]

[As Yu continued with his memory, the more Mabel was getting worried. She might not have known the boy for that long but it was unusual for him to just stare off into space.

But then again, for the past couple of days, she seemed to be doing the same thing as well.

On top of what happened a while back, that only made the poor girl even more nervous about her friend. But when he finally responded back, she just gave a sigh of relief!]

Nah, don't worry about it! I'm just glad that you finally said something! For a moment, I really thought that you got into some smile dip! Man, now that was weird!

Don't ever want to deal with a flying 4 headed dolphin ever again!

[Don't mind her laughing nervously because she was totally doing it! Ahahahahahaha....ha...ha....hhaaaa....]

[covenantal]

[ Only he isn't there anymore. Kyoko will find herself alone in a room with a bizarre portal ... at least, until the portal isn't there, and it's replaced by a pleasantly sunlit window, instead. The whole room might seem warm and friendly... were it not for the blood splattered walls, the many haphazardly pasted-up posters with all the faces ripped out, and the single noose hanging from the ceiling ... that somehow, almost, seems to glow.

She'll seem to be alone for a moment, casting about as if looking for someone ... until a voice begins to speak.

This is a problem.

It comes from behind her, and it comes with the unmistakable click of a gun. She won't turn. She'll stand a little straighter, but that's all.

Why didn't you bring the rest of 'em? You're such a party pooper. You couldn't even bring your wannabe detective friend?

Kyoko will find herself explaining that she came by herself, still without turning around.

So boring.

She'll feel him lower the gun, but the instant she turns around to face him, he - Adachi, she'll know, the name a sudden and inexorable brand on her mind - will be gone. Quick as a breath he'll reappear perched in the chair, the gun held casually in his hand. She'll know it's loaded, for all his idle toying around with it.

Your whole gang should be here. You know, work together, beat the bad guy. Friendship, effort, victory... You guys love that stuff.

She'll say she believed in him. It will hurt. Her chest will burn. Her whole body will strain with the force of everything she isn't doing.

Oh, really...? Just what was it about me that made you want to believe in me so bad?

She'll watch him stand, and step closer, and not move an inch herself.

Well? I don't have anything to say to YOU. If crimes could be solved by appealing to morality, we wouldn't need the police! The person you believed in was a version of me who only existed in your head. You decided on your own to believe in me, and that decision betrayed you.

Why complain about it to me?

Kyoko's head will hurt when she asks him if that's what he'll tell Dojima.

You say the dumbest shit.

It's people like you who come to me alone, naively thinking you can "turn me around," that piss me off the most.

Adachi lifts the gun and levels it at her, and all Kyoko will do is watch him, standing steady, despite feeling lightheaded with shock and horror and betrayal.

What do you think will happen if I shoot you?

She'll tell him, blankly, that he'd commit one more crime, the words quiet and nearly drowned out by the static between her ears. The static turns into a horrible roar when the gunshot goes off.

You're right. That's all it would be, he'd said before he pulled the trigger. But she'll be hearing broken glass, she'll be feeling the way the bullet grazed her ear, burning and so close to permanent. Her knees will give out beneath her abruptly and she'll sit on the floor, blank eyes not really looking at anything. Everything smells acrid. Like gunsmoke.

He walks closer to her. Points again.

Do you get it now? We're done talking.

I won't miss next time.

She'll feel something happen then. The transformation of something within her soul that defines the bond between her and the man in front of her. It feels like something shatters, is remade anew, but it feels like nothing good. It feels like something hungry that might chew its way through her wavering heart.

Want me to let you choose? You can go back to your friends and bring them all here...

...Or you can die now.

He lowers his gun, and she'll get to her feet, slow, but not shaking. She can see the way he looks ... disappointed.

I guess regular revenge is boring, though. Let me see where your detective work takes you. It's always good for a laugh. You're so persistent! Look at all that youthful vigor you've got.

Come on, "leader," bring all your friends back here.

He disappears. She'll run forward, but there's nothing there to stop. His disembodied voice continues, heedless, taunting.

Well, bye-bye.

Leaving her alone with a burning ear and a soul full of devastation. ]

[covenantal]

[ Rei will find herself seated in what seems to be a car. No... it must be a limousine, with all this room in here. It's ... it's very blue. Everything in here is quite blue. The seating, the accents, the attire of the solemn woman to her right. The limousine is moving, though she'll barely be able to feel it. Fog roils outside the windows, impenetrable, so no location can be estimated...

... but that's way less interesting than what's inside the limo, anyway.

Across from her is a small tea table, appointed with a blue cloth. And sitting behind that tea table is a man. His age is difficult to place, though he seems older, with a shock of white hair ringing his head and bulging white eyes.

What's really notable is his nose.

It's more like a beak?

His clothing is quite fine, his hands covered in white gloves and the fineness of his suit giving an overall impression of elegance and no expense spared.

... but really, it's tough to get over that nose. It's got to be inches long.

Welcome to the Velvet Room, he says, in a smooth, inviting voice. She'll find it only somewhat odd, in the dreamlike state she's in, and wonder more about where she is and how she got here than the man himself.

Ah... it seems we have an intriguing guest, with an intriguing destiny... My name is Igor... I am delighted to make your acquaintance.

She'll be able to sense his sincerity. It seems that, whatever his purpose, he seems to mean his words. He's glad she's here... wherever here is.

This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It is a room that only those who are bound by a "contract" may enter... It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future. Now then... Why don't you introduce yourself...? ]

[covenantal]

[ Yu props his hand on his hip, sighing a little, though it's a good-natured kind of sound. ]

Yeah. It looks like a fox spirit. I don't think anyone can see it but me.

[ A beat as he considers what he just said. ]

I guess that sounds pretty crazy.

[covenantal]

... I don't think so.

[ He says that like he's considering it...

But he'll straighten up, slipping a hand into his pocket. ]

Sorry about that. It's this fox spirit... only I can seem to see it. It's pretty shy. I keep trying to take care of it, but it doesn't seem to want to let me.

[covenantal]

... you alright, Namine? [ He says it with gentle humor, but he's a little concerned. Why is she sleeping at a random cafe table...? ] This doesn't seem like the greatest place for a nap.

[ Meanwhile, his fox is hiding under the chair opposite hers. ]

[covenantal]

... a what? [ That actually manages to surprise him. ] You know, I've seen some pretty strange things, but the stories you and Dipper tell me about Gravity Falls still manage to surprise me. What's this about a flying four-headed dolphin...?

[ He's smiling a little, and also tilting his head, inviting her to walk with him. ]

[faithfulflame]

[Rei has seen some pretty strange things. Crystal palaces, castles orbiting the outer planets, the surface of the moon, but she's never seen anything quite like this. Takeuchi doesn't draw noses much. The plush setting is just like the limos her father might take, and she herself is no stranger to them, but the look and that voice...make it all the more alien.

His question, his genuine nature, the very nature of this place are all intriguing, drawing her in and demanding that she ask questions. She wants to understand, it's just how she is, inquisitive and sharp. That he's talking about destiny and fate only makes her more curious, eyes focusing hard on "Igor." He seems helpful, kind...strange...but interesting. A little like what she'd imagine a mountain hermit would look like if Yamabushi existed anymore.

But what really stands out about his appearance is, of course, the nose.

You could hang a coat on that thing.

Her mouth opens to respond to the question, but no words come out. They stick in her throat as the vision fades back into the reality of Cerealia (If you can call it that. And it leaves her staring, mouth half open, eyes as wide as plates.]

-g-uh. What the hell

[covenantal]

[ Yu saw that, too. And this isn't the first time he's seen it happen, though this was one of the least depressing ones so far. The first time he met Igor...? He's left blinking, and Rei's reaction...

... actually makes him laugh. His fox, startled, runs away from them both. ]

Sorry! That was one of my memories. As far as they go, it wasn't a bad one.

[faithfulflame]

[Rei presses the heels of her hands against her eyes, trying to figure out what on earth it was she just saw.]

No, it wasn't bad. But, who is that? And what is wrong with his... [She...doesn't say it, she just touches her nose.]

[meowbel]

Oh yeah, I ate this really strange candy a while back and I don't know what happened! Next thing I knew, I just started seeing some weird stuff all around me!

[She extended her arms to make her point!] Kind of like one of those really crazy colorful art projects only art students could see!

[trueend]

A fox...

[Repeating the words like that might magically make said invisible fox become visible. Sadly, it doesn't, so they have to settle for thinking about it for a few seconds.

Looking behind them the next second, glancing at a... patch of dirt?

And then they look at Yu again.]

Don't think it sounds crazy. There's a... bird following me, too? A really, really, really cool smoke bird.

[lethechained]

[ It's only her recovering awareness that keeps her from another sleepy 'huh'? Seeming to realize something, she takes a quick glance around - and it could be misconstrued as an attempt to ascertain her location, but her eyes are too low. Where did that little creature get to...? Although of course she can't see his, so even if she could spot it from her angle she wouldn't know the difference. Sliding a hand over her hair, she returns her eyes to Yu, looking a touch bemused. ]

I... wasn't napping on purpose. [ It occurs to her only late to attempt a smile, which she does somewhat unconvincingly at first. Once she's had a moment to clear her head, however, it becomes more sincere and also a bit more self-conscious. ] I just-- I haven't been sleeping much lately, that's all. But I'm fine.

[ And now that her mind's caught up with her-- ] What were you saying before...? Something about someone being shy?