songerein | OPEN ✫ Dreams and Everything After

Entry tags:

OPEN ✫ Dreams and Everything After

Who: Ryunosuke and OPEN
Which: Open Log
Where: Dream/Various
What: January Catch-All
Warnings: Spoilers for the second case of the first game in the first set of prompts.

I. Of Time Spent Aboard the S.S. Burya open, interactive dream
(Contains SPOILERS for The Great Ace Attorney, Case Two)

( option 1 )
[You wake from a heavy sleep with a dull, throbbing headache to the sight of a moderately furnished room aboard a ship. It's not the rocking of waves that wakes you, nor the pounding of your head-- though the latter does not seem willing to relent any; leaving your head feeling sluggish and heavy. But just outside your door you can hear a commotion taking place. Russian voices exchange words with one another in heavily-accented English. And while you cannot hear the precise words, there is a sense of panic and urgency among them.

Further investigation of your room yields the sight of a heavy wooden wardrobe, a small round dining table, a sturdy writing desk, a book case laden into the wall and a pull cord above your bed that is attached to a bell. There are also several bags, most certainly for storing luggage. It isn't modern by any means, but it is modestly well put together for the time and the quality of the furnishings are quite good.

Should you care to read them, there are also a list of rules and regulations posted on the wall near the book case. Something about not keeping weapons or other dangerous objects. Pets are also strictly forbidden.

That said, it sounds as though the majority of the noise outside is coming from across the hall, should you wish to investigate.]

( option 2 )
[Everything is pitch black. No amount of blinking will help your eyes adjust to this darkness.

But somehow, even though you cannot see them, you know there is someone else here in this space with you. They, however, do not seem to be able to sense you. All your other senses are that much sharper without your eyes to guide you. You can hear the way they anxiously wring their hands together and fidget anxiously. Their breathing is unsteady-- rushed, even. You can feel their sorrow, their anguish, their fear, their uncertainty. And a crushing loneliness, filled with regret.

While there's no signs of where the empty space ends, there's this unshakable feeling that it's closing in around you.

They're not your feelings though. They're his.]

II. Out of Icelation

[Though he wasn't entirely convinced that the town plaza was the best location for this, he knew he couldn't very well focus on practicing what he wanted in his home without creating a whole mess of the place. Or-- more of a mess than he already does. At least out here, there's more than enough open space-- and much lower chances that he might break or destroy something. Not... zero percent chance or anything but. Closer to it, surely. Unfortunately there's also snow. A good deal of it, too.

Nonetheless, he hasn't come empty-handed. He has with him a notebook filled with ideas and observations on dreamotion energy and the more ~mystical~ magical properties of it. It's positively littered with colored tabs at the top, marking different pages. While he's no Susato, he would definitely say he's watched and learned from the best. They focus on the more practical uses for it, but there are mentions of

In this case though, it seems he may be overthinking things more than a little bit. He seems... nervous.

That energy has actually caused the snow around him to nearly stop-- though it's not exactly still either. It seems to be vibrating in place. But his head is in his books at thoughts so much that he hasn't noticed it.]

...compared to law, this should be nothing. [...he sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose.] Maybe not everyone is cut out for this kind of thing.

III. Wildcard

(For anything that doesn't fit into the above prompts. This can be a place for quests or other event-related prompts! You're welcome to bring your own on plot with me at

cloudatlas if you want ideas or a custom made starter!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Vigil isn't entirely unfamiliar with fear, although it's usually accompanied by an all consuming despair that sometimes latches onto his person. But despite the familiarity, he's conscious enough to realize that these feelings in particular aren't emitting from him for once. There's a sense of loneliness that he's unable to fully relate to.

Still, he feels uncomfortable, one of his arms reaching up to grip his other arm. It's nice to know that well, all of him is here as he tries to navigate this darkness.]

...Hello?

[He can hear someone else breathing and Vigil just hopes that he's not going to face something too terrible here. Although, as he feel things close around him, he might even prefer some terrible monster over this void.]

[As he begins to move and feel his way around, he may begin to realize that he's in a room of some sort. Bed, wardrobe, desk-- standard items one might expect in a bedroom.

Unfortunately, there's no answer to his call. Although... there are these small noises coming from the direction of the wardrobe. Little things like the ruffling of clothing, or the sound of a shoe shifting against the wood. And breathing. Shaky, but steady, like that of someone who's lost in sleep.

At least it doesn't seem dangerous in any obvious way.]

[It's certainly a room he's unfamiliar with, but as he traverses the area, he can feel items commonly associated with a bedroom-- a wardrobe, a desk, a bed itself. He's... not sure if that's a comforting thought, however.

Should he... prepare himself in some manner? He's never quite mastered that dreamotion energy to really fight back, but something tells him that such actions are unnecessary right now anyway. The air is still oppressing here, but it's that sorrow rather than anything aggressive.

But at last, he reaches the wardrobe, the only place in this eerily silent room that has any sort of noise emitting from it. Maybe he's getting himself into something terrible, but with a small inhale, Vigil opens the wardrobe.]

[The doors begin to open a crack-- before they're met with the cold, hard resistance of chains wrapped around the entirety of the piece of furniture. Even more odd, however, is the fact that even if you bothered to run your hands along the entire length of the chain, you wouldn't find a lock or clasp of any kind.

Yet the sound and movement seems to be enough to cause the person inside of the wardrobe to stir. There's a moment of silence before a tentative voice calls out.]

...who's there...?

[The former warder can't stop himself from startling slightly, his hand drawing back as chains begin to wrap around the furniture piece. That's... not normal, and even as he tentatively runs a hand down the cold metal, he can't find any place that would cause it to open. Not even the shackles of Barclay were like this. He pulls his hand away once more, uncertain about what to do, until he hears the faint voice emerging from the wardrobe.

It takes Vigil a moment, but it's familiar, knowing that he's heard it before and-- ah, of course.]

Mr. Naruhodo...? Is that you?

[They are definitely just acquaintances in the long run, only speaking to each other directly in person once (at least in his eyes). He feels like he's truly encroaching on something he knows nothing about, but he's already here and in front of this chained wardrobe.]

It's Vigil-- Daley Vigil. Ah, we met at the Mikotoba residence here.

[The person inside seems to go deathly still for a moment; overtaken by panic. But Vigil's voice reaches him, and when it sinks in properly, he scoots to the front of the wardrobe, his voice somewhat unsure yet loud enough to carry clearly through the closed doors.]

Mister Vigil? What-- what are you doing here?

[Surely enough the two things make well enough sense separately. This space, this memory is one that has stuck with him vividly. As does his memory of Daley Vigil. However, the two of them together? That part seems more than a little strange.]

[In all out honesty, he's not quite sure why he's here, but guess that's how these sort of dreams work sometimes. Of course, this is certainly a first for him, although he's gotten a familiar sense with the whole dreamscape that went on just a couple of weeks ago. Still, this is something quite personal, and the sense of discomfort surrounding Vigil doesn't quite dissipate.

He's only glad that no one's walked into one of his dreams yet.

Vigil stands quietly for a few seconds, before rotating his arms and letting his hands rest against his face. Since he can't open the wardrobe right now, he'll do just this.]

...I was pulled here. [.....] I apologize, I'm probably not the greatest source of comfort at this time. I imagine you'd much prefer one of your friends to be here.

No, it's... you don't need to apologize.

[Now he feels bad for well. Making Vigil feel bad. This isn't going to get either of them anywhere. Maybe it wasn't the sort of person he expected to see, but it is still a form of comfort. It's certainly a nicer familiarity than this place is right now. The loneliness isn't so bad now. But there's certainly a darkness and sadness that linger in small quantities.]

...some things are actually easier to share with others anyway.

...Would you like to share some things with me?

[He feels a little too bold asking such a question, but he figures that he should try, especially as that sense of loneliness doesn't quite seem as suffocating as before. It's such a terrible feeling to have, and he does wish for it to go away. So, if he can help with that...]

Whatever you're quite comfortable with, of course. I can't imagine how lonely it's been in there, all by yourself.

Ah--

[Somehow it had not occurred to him that his attempt at comfort might double as an admission that there were such troubling thoughts on his mind. But it's true, he cannot deny that his mind is troubled.]

...it's true I've been worried about... more than a few things since I came here. If you don't mind listening...

[Vigil has never considered himself to be a good source of comfort, but... he's familiar with listening to people, whether it be gossip from his wife and her socialites, or the last confessions of the prisoners from Barclay.

Two opposite sides of the spectrum, but sometimes, that listening ear helps quite a bit to lessen some weight off people's shoulders.]

I would not mind at all. [...] If only I could offer a cup of tea from here, but know that I'm still standing outside this wardrobe. There's few things more disquieting than feeling entirely alone.

[Thinking about it now, Ryunosuke supposes this is probably something that Vigil has a good deal of experience with. And admittedly while he'd rather not encourage the other more... talkative... side of him, he does feel like he can confide in him.]

Tea would be nice-- another time.

But... you're right. If there's any place in time where I felt entirely alone... it would be here. This ship... was the scene of a particularly unfortunate incident. A supposedly closed room murder-- a stowaway killing his best friend. And the suspect in chains? That was me.

[Oh, they're in a ship...? Guess that makes the most sense, this place bearing the lodging of a room, but the overall décor is definitely something new to him. He's never been overseas before, so this is definitely a first for him, although he imagines that actual trips are far more pleasant than this.

He hopes so at least.]

...You were accused of killing Mr. Asogi? I can't imagine such a terrible crime being committed by you.

[And well, it's apparent Mr. Naruhodou didn't do such a thing. But it's still awful to be accused of murder, especially of one's own best friend. For once, however, Vigil tries to look at the positives here.]

I'm assuming that they caught the actual culprit-- and Mr. Asogi is alive and well. He's... still your best friend, he said so himself.

[It warms his heart considerably to hear Vigil say so, even knowing that this is all in the past now.]

I suppose in all fairness, it did seem like the most obvious answer at the time. It was a rather incriminating situation. Of course the truth did eventually come out, however...

[Ryunosuke goes quiet for a moment, while he leans back and closes his eyes.]

...I still remember the way Susato looked at me back then. Asking me why-- and looking so destroyed when I couldn't give her an answer that she could believe in.

[He's only known Miss Mikotoba for a couple of months now and he still wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of a look like that. Disappointing people is bad enough, but having them actually think you're responsible for murder...? It's any miracle that people can come back from that.]

Being accused of something you didn't do, for something over murder, that's...

[...Why does he feel like he knows that feeling? Perhaps not the murder portion, but the accusation of doing something terrible?]

...A suffocating feeling. Everything closing around you, your mind going entirely blank.

[Maybe he wasn't able to reclaim his memories just yet, but it seemed that Vigil still carried those feelings with him. Naruhodo felt a bit bad for bringing it up, but at the same time it felt comforting to share with someone who knew those same painful feelings.]

...you're exactly right. Kazuma was the one person who would have stood by me, no matter the accusation. But he was the one person who could not. And I realized that I needed to be the one to do it... on my own.

[Ironically that sort of resolution was the very same he was looking for now, as he struggled to find his place in this new world.]

But it was because of those very events that I ended up taking Kazuma's place, studying in Great Britain. That moment which was easily the lowest and most painful in my life... paved the way for a lot of really wonderful experiences. But I never forgot that lonely feeling.

[Both Susato and Ryunosuke speak so highly of Kazuma... he's truly had an impact on their lives. He does seem to be quite an honorable young man, if burdened by the impact Genshin Asogi has left. He... really should try harder on his end to recount his memories with Genshin, if to tell Kazuma more about his father.

But ah... he can't think about it now. Vigil is well-aware that line of thinking only causes him stress and neither of them need that right now. Later, when he's in the safety of his own home and out of anyone's dream.]

A loneliness like that can never be forgotten. [....] ...Some of my memories are still missing, but... I still feel them from time to time. A deep feeling of despair and I'm not entirely sure why.

[When Vigil had admitted he knew little of that last case, Ryunosuke knew what that meant for him. While he may have been responsible for dragging those memories to light at one time; these circumstances were different. The right thing to do was not so clear. Of course he had every right to reclaim them and move on. But perhaps... this time, it could be done a bit more... gently, without the desperate need for it in the courtroom.]

...I'm sure you'll remember when the time is right. You don't need to force it. But... when that time does come, you won't be alone either. My door is always open.

[He wonders if he'll be strong enough to handle whatever memories are missing from his mind, especially without having Evie here. She's always been a strong pillar of support for him and her absence has been draining him more with each passing week. Still, he appreciates the young lawyer's offer, it's a small reminder that he's not utterly alone in this place either.]

That's very kind of you, Mr. Naruhodo. [...] I hope my company has eased some of the loneliness you've been enduring, as odd as it has been talking through this wardrobe.

I don't quite imagine it to be very comfortable for you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

OPEN ✫ Dreams and Everything After

I-II

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject