songerein | ( OPEN / DREAM ) ☆ 🅾🅽E

Entry tags:

( OPEN / DREAM ) ☆ 🅾🅽E

Who: Joker (Ren Amamiya) & OPEN
Which: Open, Interactive Dream
Where: Naptime
What: HEIST DREAM, choose your own adventure: become a phantom thief and join Ren on his quest for the treasure, foil his attempts and ultimately convince him this is all a dream, or explore an empty school that has definitely never been involved in anything sinister, ever. Option one is for trying to talk it out, while option two is your standard phantom thief flair, secure the treasure and fight your way out!
Warnings: Will update as necessary

It was starting to get dark. Maybe you were headed home finally after some time in the Wildlands, maybe that's what brought Ren out here originally too— but now, he's seated near the edge of the lake. His chest rises and falls rhythmically on approach, a dim glow from the crystal of his lantern alight at his side.

He actually looks rather peaceful but... he probably shouldn't be sleeping out here, especially after dark. Unfortunately, he doesn't exactly seem easy to rouse. And the glow of that lantern is brightening just a little, almost invitingly... If you find yourself drawn in, rather than who you might expect... a phantom thief greets you instead,— inside the dream, with a curious— "Hm?"

☆

one. ( it's— a school? the hallways are empty and dark, devoid of any of the chatter you might expect on a normal weekday. you might hear a low murmur or the echo of a voice, but there's nothing meaningful to the words. the classrooms are mostly open, neatly lined desks standing at the ready. peak your head a little further inside, and you may just see an artist's rendition of a local celebrity. )

I remember this. ( joker says, studying the depiction. actually, he might even be smiling a little bit. ) It's actually pretty good.

( you know, the likeness. )

two. ( otherwise, the halls seem rather empty, though the further you venture the more you might experience a few... hiccups. you might swear for exam that the place seems to take on the appearance of a castle every now and then. maybe even your clothing itself might change into something a bit more... rebellious? )

Did you feel that?

( joker seems to be on high alert, implying that he seems to be experiencing it, too. )

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[ Everything fades quickly as Susato gives into the light of the lantern. Perhaps she was just clearing her head, taking a walk by the lake; either way, the dreamscape takes hold quickly, making it feel like she was always there. The details are fuzzy--is she a student here? Who is the masked young man in front of her?

But before she can fill in the blanks, there is a flicker. Gone is her regular pink kimono, her girlish appearance, replaced instead with something far more rebellious, fit for a young man, a male student of law from the olden days. Rather than feel belittled, though, cursing the body she'd been born in, she feels... empowered.

Which should have been her first clue this was a dream.

Instead, she shakes her head to try to pull herself back to the moment. ]

That was... strange. A castle? [ Wasn't it a school? ]

( her wardrobe change is a welcome sight. she's a rebel too, clearly. were... they infiltrating the school together? it was difficult to discern the details but that seemed like it should be right.

in thought, joker pinches his chin between a thumb and forefinger, briefly. )

Could Kamoshida have somehow taken hold of this place again?

( apparently, she should know what that means. )

Regardless, if there's even a chance of that, then there should be a treasure to go along with it. ( beneath his mask, steely grey eyes focus on susato. ) We'll have to secure it ourselves.

[ As Susato's subconscious begins to fill in the details, the missing piece--a white mask with three golden circles at its center materializes on her face. If she has noticed, she hasn't reacted at all; it is as if it had always been there.

Similarly, the name Kamoshida stirs disgust--a teacher and athlete who should have commanded respect, but instead abused it and got away with it for far too long. ]

Again? Just you and me this time? [ Her tone is surprised, but only insomuch that--well, they've already taken care of this. They should have already stolen his heart; but any doubt melts away with another subtle flicker, along with the feeling that they're missing someone, or several someones. ] Well, I look forward to following your lead as always, Joker.

( there's a nod, in reply. it did seem like just the two of them this time. but... the fact that this was happening "again" didn't sit right with him either. of course, with how easily susato slipped into her role, and that mask, ren was all the more caught up in his own dream, not even an inkling that this wasn't the waking world. )

Not only that— it's quiet too, don't you think?

( too quiet... )

We should gather what information we can first. If somehow Kamoshida's influence is still lingering...

( the source. the treasure, was what they needed to find.
with a quick turn of his heel, joker pressed himself against the wall, listening, before giving a wave that the coast was clear for them to proceed into the hall. )

Edited 2021-12-29 19:49 (UTC)

[ Something, somewhere would surely shake them out of it, but they could have some fun dream adventures in the meantime. The treasure, at least, seemed very important and promising, and it made for a good goal.

She followed Joker into the hall, making herself small as she recalls the feeling of trying to sneak around undetected.

Faintly, she can hear echoes of pain--grunting, crying, whining, remnants of training inhumane. ]

Still a dungeon for his students. The deja vu is eerie, is it not?

...Rather than Kamoshida himself, could it be a very misguided admirer?

Mm.

( it was eerie— joker hadn't liked this place the first time they'd stumbled onto it, but now that it seemed to be coming back to life... the scenery, when it shifted, bothered him all the more. )

An admirer, or even a sympathizer. Or maybe...

( kamoshida had always made empty and deplorable promises to his students... perhaps the lingering resentment that stemmed from all his misdeeds were causing the echoes to remain... )

Something else entirely. But it's clear, we should start with the gym. Come on!

( he's quick, leaping from shadow to shadow, the castle enveloping more of their surroundings the deeper he led. )

[ A sympathizer... ugh. The very thought makes her shudder, but she luckily doesn't have to dwell on it for long. She follows his lead but keeps a couple paces behind him, hoping to cover more ground as they approach the gym.

It's a natural starting point, to be sure. But before she can take in more of the labor-intensive exercises the students are forced through, she notices something behind their leader.

It appears to be just a dark fog at first, slowly enveloping him, but she quickly catches on. ]

Joker, look out! Sneak attack!

[ BABYBABYBABY -- ~~oh wait wrong game~~ ]

( he's on his toes once he hears his name, spinning with a flourish. there's jazzy pop vibes everywhere!! joker is actually looking pretty confident. it feels as though its been awhile since he's been able to spread his wings, so to speak. a sleight of hand sees him armed with a dagger, but he's reaching up to pull his mask off instead, to summon: )

Come! Ars— ( there were no flames. no sounds of chains. and worst of all, no reply. ) ...ène?

( caught now with his mask off, he turns back to susato looking rather wide-eyed. apparently, he doesn't know what's going on either. t-take the lead?! )

[ Not the wide eyes?! That's her job--

Susato is clearly not used to being in the lead, be it in this dreamscape or out, but having no choice, she shakes her head, with more gaps in her subconscious being filled in. She had watched the way Joker ripped off his mask, and she does the same, though with slightly less polish, stuttering: ]

C, Come! Joha--

[ She stops before she can finish the name, questions suddenly coming to her mind amidst the silence in her mind. Just who is she calling for, and why do they not answer?

Waiting for the answers to fill in doesn't seem to work this time, however. The shadow won't wait, rushing her with giant claws rushing at her from either side. She gasps, shielding herself with her arms, but at the same time, pushing back with a power she had forgotten she'd been working on all along.

As sudden as a light being flicked on in the darkness, sparks appear at the base of her elbows, and gauntlets made of fire slowly ignite to cover her upper arm like a shield. ]

( not good!! not only was his persona seemingly unreachable, susato also seemed unable to call... to call— who would she normally be fighting with, again?
joker shakes his head, replacing the mask on his face and scoffing harshly with an audible: ) Tch.

( he switches to a defensive stance, pulling his knife from, somewhere— watching as a set of blazing gauntlets take shape down her arms. is that a new technique...?
the shadow, a silky, is immediately repelled, cowering back with a "uwaaaah", as it moves to regain its footing, readying to cast. )

Nice, Hana! You hit it's weakness. Let's go for one more— I'll cover you!

[ ...What was that he called her? It's not her name. It's almost like she's slipped into the role of someone else, but somehow she gets the sense that that's the whole point here. Either way, she doesn't have much time to consider it after pushing back against the silky.

Relatively speaking, fire powers are new to her, but momentum is definitely in her favor, and the encouragement doesn't hurt either. When she sees the silky recover and start a counter spell, she doesn't stop to think about some clever strategy to retaliate. She just concentrates on the flames of her gauntlets, giving them life before she lunges forward to flip the silky off its feet, into the air and back onto the castle floor. ]

Hiii-YAH!

[ It screeches in agony, engulfed by her fire as it starts to burn, seemingly from the inside out. Moments later, she watches as it dissipates into smoke. ]

Good work.

( lookin cool, hana!!
she seems more than capable of holding her own, and definitely has hthe shadow under control, so while joker remains ready to jump in at any time, knife first, it's completely unnecessary. still, once the silky dissipates, there's a cool-looking knife flip of his own in celebration— though his satisfied grin was short-lived, having a chance to re-evaluate now. )

Though, it's concerning that neither of us were able to use our Personas. ( what? ) It doesn't feel like Forget...

( again, what? )

What do you think? ( he turns, studying his companion for a moment. ) Have any Mental Floss on you?

Edited 2022-01-24 04:58 (UTC)

[ Susato straightens her stance, breathing just a little heavier from her attack. Her brain agrees: what?

Yet she is always the prepared one, someone who would have Mental Floss and all manner of things for a palace expedition, if only she knew what any of it was. She shakes her head. ]

No...

No, something is off. [ The uncertainty causes more flickers. She can see bits of the school again, just for a moment, which is at least a setting she's more familiar with, but still not what she's looking for. ]

Joker... who are you?

Who—? What do you mean, Hana? We're...

( hana? the only japanese name amongst the team? was that right?
there's a half-step back as the distortion fades back into a classroom. was it weak here? but there was nothing safe about this room, considering they'd just been attacked... )

We're here to find the treasure— ( joker straightens, sounding much less sure than he had before. ) We're the Phantom Thieves...?

[ The more she hears it, the more certain she is that Hana is not her name. It is beautiful, however, and she has no trouble believing she would choose it for herself, in another universe. Things are slowly falling into place now, though, and she's beginning to understand... even though somehow, her real name escapes her, like something on the tip of her tongue. ]

Then how did we meet?

[ The dreamscape flickers again, showing echoes of another life--one that never existed. Her "phantom thief" guise still holds, but just barely, and Ren may start to notice flashes of pink seeping through. ]

Where are we? I think this is... It must be...

( how did they meet? what a silly question. they'd met on his first day of school, he was waiting under an awning in the rain, and she— wait, no that had been ann, under the same canopy... )

It was in school, wasn't it? I was already going to be late, and—

( no, that wasn't right, either. ryuji had been the one...
her simple question was making his head spin, and the projection of the school along with it. )

Something— something's not right.

( his personas not answering his call, her place in all of this, the castle of lust no longer being seized...
he closed his eyes, concentrating, trying to access his third eye. )

But still, it's got to be— I can feel it, downstairs...

Edited 2022-02-08 02:32 (UTC)

[ She can see the way he concentrates, the way his mind must be scrambling to fill in the blanks, just like hers, when she asked that question. This only confirms what she suspects. The pieces of the puzzle start to fall together, and she can see her name, almost reach for it.

She still doesn't know his, though his alias seems to come easy to her. ]

Joker...

[ Then it's like some magical girl transformation, starting with her hair. Her hair unravels, and the hat disappears soon after. Her black uniform that made her so gallant and dashing and impressive gave way to a mere pink kimono, which seems to clash with the western style of her boots.

She sees the color, the way her large sleeves fall at her side, and right away, she knows. She is Susato Mikotoba.

And he... ]

... You're dreaming.

( her words chime like a heavy bell, resonating deep in ren's core as he stood there. )

Dream... ing?

( he watches as her transformation falls away, mouth just slightly agape.
hana, a simple codename had come easily to him when he looked at her. but now, dressed as she was, he raked his mind searching for her name, something to call her. she was... no student of shujin, was she?

before this, what had he...
rev... ... in. re— verin.

his long coat melted away with the scenery, leaving him once again bespectacled, and arms out-stretched. that voice. wasn't that...?
the sound of chains sounded softly, becoming louder as ren's lantern slowly took shape in his hands, glowly strongly. )

You're right... I was dreaming...

( and the scent of something freshly baked started to waft through the air, as he turned towards susato again, everything finally starting to add up. the world of dreams. the reason arsène didn't come. )

About yakisoba bread.

( in the dream, his stomach rumbled.
and with a gasp— ren shot upwards from his slumber, waking suddenly on the other side. )

[ . . . Okay. Susato can't help it. That comment gets a genuine laugh out of her, and her case of the giggles gets even worse when she can hear his stomach rumble.

When she wakes up in the real world, it is with a smile, and laughter that shakes her just under her breath--though for the sudden good mood she had found herself in, she apparently also decided to fall asleep right where she found him, dropping into the dirt like a very hard bed. She opens her eyes, blinking slowly at first, and the smile disappears quickly as she sits straight up.

Oh.

She gasps, looking around for--

Joker? ]

( for his part, ren is a little confused, but he's got the spirit! or something.
reaching up to his head quickly causes his glasses to fall off, onto the ground beside him. )

Ah— ( as he sweeps around for them with his hands, his comrade pops up near-by, giving him pause, as he stares. ) Uh...

( so eloquent.
he may be without a mask, but that mop of hair on his head may seem quite familiar. and, looking her over, ren seems to recognize her as well, thanks to that last minute change of outfit she'd made. )

... You were— in the dream. Hana.

[ Hana. Somehow, she doesn't find it strange. He could call her that from now on, and she'd probably respond to it, but she does think he deserves to know her real name. ]

...It is Susato, actually. Susato Mikotoba.

[ She could watch him swipe around for a while longer, and maybe eventually get those glasses, but she crawls the couple steps between them until she reaches them herself. She should probably get off the ground though, so she pulls herself off out of the dirt and onto her feet before she hands the glasses back. ]

( with how easily she had fallen into the role of fellow phantom thief, it was a bit difficult for ren to feel almost— comfortable around her, already. his expression softened, with a MAX CHARM smile as he reached for the specs. )

Susato.

( it felt more natural than mikotoba, for some reason. or maybe thanks to a combination of all of the above. )

I'm Ren. Amamiya, Ren. Sorry, it seems you were caught up in an impromptu nap of mine. Thanks for your help.

[ Susato isn't sure she can take credit for much, but she is easily taken in by that smile, and feels equally comfortable talking to him. Once he puts on the glasses and her hands are free, she finds herself straightening up a bit, and brushing the dirt off her kimono. ]

It is my pleasure, Ren. [ She curtsies... If he's going to use her first name, she'll use his too. ] Apologies for all the confusion. The lake is quite scenic and peaceful, but perhaps we should head back. It is already starting to get dark.

annd just gonna wrap this up with one last tag also, boop... >>

masqueraid - 2022-03-10 02:33 (UTC) - Expand

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( OPEN / DREAM ) ☆ 🅾🅽E

two, living out my p5 au dreams

dont let the memes be dreams !!

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did you have a codename in mind for her btw? i can roll with whatever, otherwise! :3c

it has been so long since i have p5'd i forgot all about that fjkhds. maybe "hana" for flower!

cute! works for me c:

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annd just gonna wrap this up with one last tag also, boop... >>