Weekend 5...?

[vellamods]

WEEKEND 5 LOG ♬
Weather: Clear skies all weekend

On Saturday, there’s nothing new or unusual. It seems like the wish granting has been put on hold, and your efforts can continue to go towards progressing the island more. With the museum, Able Sisters, the entertainment area, the garden and more, the amount of development Isle Sonrisa has gone through is crystal clear when you compare it to your first week here.

All seems to be normal. That is, until you decide to fall asleep.

Whenever you begin to dream, your dreams are very vivid and reminiscent of the time you all dreamt about your homes. This time, however, you see your fellow islanders around you. Everyone may look confused, trying to figure out where they are. And that’s entirely fair, because where you are now is a little different from the island you’re used to.

That power you felt earlier in the week feels strong, too. It feels natural. And when you channel your energy…

Those of you who had powers originally will feel them start to manifest. Every ability you had is coming back. They seem a little...dampened, though, like they aren’t the full extent of what you could do before. Those who did not have abilities before will start to feel in tune with whatever’s on their person, whether it be a shovel, a bug net, even a stack of apples… You’ll be able to use them in ways you couldn’t have before.

And maybe you’ll learn how to use that new ability soon, because someone is waiting on top of one of the ledges, staring down at all of you. And he is staring very, very intensely at you. A moment passes, and then he hops down...and swings his net at the nearest person.

Strangely, if the target is you, it doesn’t hurt. You feel the boink land, but it doesn’t hurt at all. Should you choose to retaliate, no matter what you do, the boy does not seem to be in pain either. Now’s the time to experiment with your newfound (or returning) abilities. Mess around with the environment, or go ham on one another! The strangest thing is that you will feel your energy draining the more you use your powers -- which is to be expected -- but the pain never really settles in.

Furthermore, there are no injuries or blood. In fact, every punch, every kick, every impact looks cartoonish!

The last notable thing is for Joonghyuk. If he looks up at the sky at any given moment, he’ll specifically see a shooting star fly across the sky. The wish to have strength is going a little haywire, but it’s certainly something, isn’t it?

As for Sunday, well… It’s worth mentioning that those abilities aren’t just a dream after all. In fact, you feel as though you can use them in real life, too, with the same effect -- the environment can be altered (for instance: super strength means you might be able to lift a tree with your bare hands, with some work) but there are no injuries or pain when you use them on others! … But the strange boy from that dream is nowhere to be found. Huh. Wonder what that was about...

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dream

[compendiem]

[ It's this dream again... Quiet, warm, waning sunlight streaming through the windows of a dormitory lounge. Half a dozen people sit around the main living area on the couches, laughing and chattering away, but Minato sits out of the way and off to the side, in the shadows of the stairwell leading upstairs. There's a white shiba inu snoozing away on his lap, but that's about the extent of the interaction he allows himself in these dreams, neither approaching the rest of the group nor any new person he is surprised to see in his dream.

Lifting a finger to his lips, he requests silence, waving you over to sit next to him on the stairs. ]

Re: dream

[rupturingheaven]

[Byleth wanders over and silently takes a seat. She smiles softly at the sight.]

[compendiem]

[ With how grand the entire dormitory looks, easy to mistake as a hotel, the steps are more than wide enough for two, even though the dog stirs and looks over at Byleth when she takes a seat. Red eyes blink up at her, before the dog lowers his head again and curls up on Minato's lap.

Minato doesn't say anything, but he does run his hand down the dog's back, and glances over at Byleth for if she wants to pet him too. ]

[conceptualize]

[ Laurent finds himself here, and it's not really something he expected. He's familiar with dormitories and their lounges, but they weren't the things he expected to see.

When he sees Minato's gestures, he keeps his mouth closed and goes to sit next to him on the stairs. But after he does so, he looks over at the people on the couches, and thinks to himself whether Minato feels like he doesn't belong with them.

He reaches out to pet the dog on Minato's lap. ]

[compendiem]

[ He doesn't belong with them. Whether it's in a dream or in real life, he had walked into the room and headed up the stairs; nobody looked his way or invited him over, nobody really cared besides the dog that had followed him up the stairs. A good boy. Koromaru doesn't care much for conversation, as long as he has a warm lap and ear scritches, leaning up to nuzzle Laurent's hand when it comes but he doesn't abandon Minato's lap. ]

[conceptualize]

[ He wonders if this is kind of the place where they're ghosts before he looks down at Koromaru and retracts that line of thinking. A boy and his dog... Laurent looks over at Minato while continuing to pet the dog and quietly speaks in a volume barely above a whisper. ]

Were you always this lonely?

[compendiem]

I'm not lonely.

[ The denial escapes him before he can help himself, fingers digging into Koromaru's side hard enough for the dog to let out a whine and wiggle himself into a more comfortable position on Minato's lap until he gives him apologetic pets. ]

This is supposed to be a good dream... What's my subconscious trying to tell me by bringing you here?

[ Isn't he surrounded by his friends? Him and his dog. He shouldn't be yearning for more and more people, especially people he's met here, who he knows he'll have to leave behind. Even if they're the only people who've really talked to him, taken interest in him, cared about him. ]

[conceptualize]

I'm not sure.

[ Minato's fingers digging into Koromaru's side hasn't escaped Laurent's notice, but he doesn't bring that up. He looks over to the group of people in the area where the couches are. Minato seems to know them, yet they're over there and Minato is over here, alone with a sleeping dog. The denial that came out, perhaps a little too fast for Minato's liking, is also something to note. ]

But you can always feel lonely among a crowd of people that you know and love.

[compendiem]

I know. I've known that.

[ Feeling lonely in a crowd is just another Tuesday. It's been his life for so long, it's the feeling of inclusivity that's gotten to feel very strange. ]

But this is what I wished for. For their happiness, even if I'm not involved. It's worth it.

[conceptualize]

But is that what they wanted?

[ ... ]

Or is it something you decided on your own without their input?

[compendiem]

I don't know. We didn't talk about it... and in the end, I was the only person who could make the decision.

[ Everybody else talked about it with each other but what is communication among SEES. The only person who really made her opinion known was Aigis, and she was all for gunning Ryoji down for the sake of everybody's happiness. ]

[conceptualize]

[ Y'all need to learn how to talk to each other... though Laurent is a hypocrite regarding that too, but this feels wrong somehow. ]

Were you the only one left or did you go off on your own?

[compendiem]

On my own, but it's not like I was some renegade... Death and I went up to my room to talk, while everybody stayed downstairs. I made to shoot him in the face, and then I ended up here. If that counted... everybody would be happy, like this. And I would be gone.

[ A happy ending for everybody!!! This is basically the life he has to look forward to when he gets home, one where he doesn't exist, where he will fight Death all on his own because there is only him. ]

[conceptualize]

[ Shooting Death in the face is quite the accomplishment, Minato... Laurent looks down at Koromaru before looking up at Minato. ]

Does that "everybody" include you? Would you be happy too?

[compendiem]

[ Minato does not meet his eyes. ]

If my friends are happy, then I'll be happy. They're all I have... They mean everything to me.

[conceptualize]

[ Laurent stares at Minato's face, watching for his expressions. He thinks back to a time when he did something similar to this: doing something for someone without their approval even if it meant damaging himself. He knows how it feels, but at the same time, he doesn't want to leave Minato alone like this. ]

... Even if it's in a place like this, you can say your goodbyes.

[spiritoso]

[ Kaede is surprised to be here and not somewhere back in her own world, like the other dreams she's had. It takes her a moment to see Minato on the stairway, as she watches the people chatting on the couches at first. She immediately walks towards him, wondering if this is his world and if those are his friends.

His gesture keeps her from asking those questions, though, and she just smiles in return as she sits next to him. ]

[compendiem]

[ He seems at home enough here, relaxed despite the hardwood stairs that's wide enough to seat two but not the most comfortable place to sit, especially given ample space on the couches in the lounge.

In this space, nobody looks at Kaede when she walks through the lounge and up the stairs, almost as if she were already a ghost. In the same way, nobody looks at Minato when he opens his mouth and whispers, ] Hey. [ in greeting, almost as if he were one too.

Nobody but the dog on his lap, sensitive to spirits as animals tend to be, who stretches out on Minato's lap and yawns, pressing his paws up against Kaede's leg. Hello. ]

[spiritoso]

[ It's weird, feeling like a ghost here. Then again, the same thing had happened in Kaede's dream too. Still, it's strange when it's someone else's dream, someone else's world.

She smiles down at the dog, reaching out to gently pet him. ]

Are they your friends?

[ Her voice is quiet, even though the others had no reaction when Minato had greeted her. ]

[compendiem]

[ He opens his mouth, though no words come out. They're his teammates, he wants to say, as if that takes precedence over friends. Are they friends? He'd like to think so- even if he had never said so, even to admit to himself. ]

...Yeah.

[ He wants to believe that they are. His team, his friends, they can be both. ]

This guy's name is Koromaru. [ The dog's tail thumps behind him, wagging, as if he understands the need to keep quiet. ]

[spiritoso]

It's nice to meet you Koromaru.

[ She continues to pet him, scratching him gently behind the ears. ]

Too bad they can't see us. I bet it would be fun to meet them. [ She pauses. ] It was like that in my dream too.

[compendiem]

[ Koromaru whines softly, lifting his head to be in full contact with Kaede's hand, while Minato smiles down at him. ]

You too, huh? At least Koromaru can see us. I didn't... think I minded too much about the others. I want them to be happy, and they are. So it's enough for me to just watch them.

[ Like he'd always insisted, just watching makes him happy. Even if he's not a part of it. It's sort of what he'd wished for, he thinks, back then when he sat next to Kaede just like this and wished upon the stars. ]

[spiritoso]

[ Kaede smiles down at Koromaru as she continues to pet him. It's good that he can see them, at least.

But she can't help but wonder if Minato really is okay with that. Before, she believed him, thinking that it is enough. After that dream of everyone being safe and happy, however... she knows that it's harder than it sounds. ]

...Is it really enough for you?

[ There's no doubt in her that Minato is happy seeing them happy, but that happiness can also be painful. ]

[compendiem]

[ It's painful, and it's never quite enough, especially after he's been given a taste of what friendship is like- what belonging is like- and he's to lose it all over again. But he has no choice but to tell himself that it's enough, ducking his head and pressing his face briefly into Koromaru's fur. ]

It has to be enough. The alternative... is pain and anguish, for everybody. I'll still lose everybody in the end, so this is the best decision I can make.

[spiritoso]

[ She puts a hand on his shoulder. It's not much, but she wants him to know she's here at least, even if it's temporary in the end. ]

I'm sorry you have to deal with all the pain by yourself. [ That's not something anyone should have to go through, even if it's better for everyone else. ]

Is there really no other way?