april open post + catch-all

[thawedheart]

Who: Yukina (thawedheart), Haru Okumura (frombetrayal), or Yona (dawnblushed) & you! No more Yukina. I dropped her. :(
What: An open post and catch-all for April. Also, memoryshare stuff from the intro log since I don't want to toplevel and distract from the new arrivals! Open prompts will be in the body of the post; personalized starters will be in the comments.
When: All through April!
Where: Wyver for Yukina, Olympia for Haru, Thesa Station/Olympia/Wyver for Yona - she's back on her bullshit.
Warning(s): Nothing at the moment, but I'll add them as things come up.

yukina;

one;
[Yukina needs to get a job.

She really, really needs to get a job. Taking part in quests isn't a bad idea, in theory, but it's not quite the same thing as a steady income, so here she is at the Fields of the Exalted. She doesn't know much about dragons, but she can learn, and she's pretty good at healing, and - well, accidental deaths and injuries have happened here. She's sure she can help, somehow. And the smaller dragons are of a size she can actually take care of. ...it's enough to get her hired on for a probationary period, at least.

Right now, though? She's got an exceedingly concerned expression on her face and a baby dragon in her arms. It's wandered out of the nursery and managed to injure itself - so she's moving it back inside for treatment. She wouldn't want one of the dragons outside to injure it further...

Thing is, with her hands full, she can't open the door to the nursery. Luckily, there's someone here!]

Excuse me! Could you get the door, please?

two;
[If her people could see her now - living in a hot jungle among all these men and women who are not Koorime - she's sure they would be both disapproving and baffled. To be fair, an ice demon really isn't well-suited for this environment... but there are ways to make it work.

Relaxing in the cold spring is one of them. Truth be told, it doesn't really feel all that cold to her, but - again, ice demon. It does feel colder than the surrounding air and the other waters, and it's much more relaxing than a hot spring would be.

So here Yukina is on her way to the water's edge - but there's someone already here...?]

Oh... I'm so sorry. Am I interrupting?

haru;

one;
[Patrol in the Market District isn't all that bad. The merchants have gotten used to seeing her around, and some of them - the stalls she frequents for quick meals when there isn't time to take an extended break, mainly - are downright friendly. All told, it's not the worst job anyone could have.

But sometimes it can get a little rowdy. This is one of those times - Haru is all of two minutes from the end of her shift, when another member of the Guard is meant to come relieve her, and from the other side of the market she can hear some kind of a commotion. People are shouting, though with the din she can't quite make out what's being said.

Hopefully it's something she can quell quickly. She hurries in the direction of the sounds, and when she draws close enough to be heard, she speaks.]

What's going on here?

[An argument over pricing? An attempting thievery? A street brawl? Something else entirely? Only one way to find out. As for you - are you an onlooker, someone else attempting to intervene, or involved in the commotion itself?]

two;
[You know what, a break sounds nice. Haru has a couple of days until her next patrol, and with the influx of new refugees, people are being urged to check out Flona Cove - so why not? She's taken the train and is just disembarking at the Flona Harbor station.

The sea air reminds her so much of Japan.]

Hmm... where to first?

[Time to wander the shops and see what people are selling... maybe she can get some ideas there!]

yona;

one;
[To be perfectly honest, she was a little worried about coming back to Olympia. It's where she was kidnapped and it's where she died, but... it's also where a lot of the people she cares about live, so it's not as though she can avoid it forever.

And things are better now. The natives still seem to recognize her, even with her newly-cut hair. They don't seem to realize that she died - she supposes she has the Natha to thank for that. If anything, when she wears the brooch they gave her, the way they react has her feeling more and more like they really won't let anything as bad as all that happen again.

But... in some ways, it's a little overwhelming. So to the stables she goes, to pick out a horse - she has the coin to do so, and having her own transportation will make things a little easier. If you run into her as she's retrieving the horse from the stables, she might make an impulsive offer—]

I'm going for a ride. Would you like to come with me?

[Does it matter if you don't know each other? Not really. She's come to learn that the more connections one has in this place, the better. And with the refugee council coming up later this month, what better time to meet someone new, or get to know someone better? The more people she knows, the more people she can vouch for.]

two;
[Here Yona is in Wyver again... She's thought to stow the pin from Olympia so as to avoid drawing too much attention, at least, but things seem reasonably more calm here regardless. Life in the jungle is the same as ever, and though she's not sure she can put down roots here, she still wants to help out. People are people, after all.

So she's got her bow and a quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder and a determined expression on her face as she flags people down.]

Hello! Do you have a second?

[It's adventure time.]

three;
[Visiting Thesa Station seems a little... well, odd, now that she's woken up from a pod more than just the one time, but she'd best get used to it. With her newfound access to the Observation Room and the beginnings of Navigator training under her belt, she expects to be spending much more time up here than she did before.

If you've also been granted access to the Observation Room, you might catch her here studying star charts and making small noises of confusion under her breath. If you don't, though, there are other places you might see her - examining the mecha suits in the hangars with wide-eyed curiosity, or taking a break at the cafeteria.

Either way, she seems in good spirits, and she greets whoever she happens to run into with a smile.]

Oh, hi! What brings you up here?

memories;

yukina;
[The room is empty of any furniture save for a single chair. The window is barred, with paper wards stuck onto it to keep her in. Yukina sits by it, a bird on her shoulder and several more on the windowsill.

Footsteps echo as somebody approaches. Yukina looks up, urges the birds through the gaps in the window, and waits. Frigid little whore, she hears from the hallway, as her eyes glow and the temperature in the room drops to below freezing. By the time Tarukane, his little crony, and the Toguro brothers enter the room, it's iced over, and she is staring resolutely ahead.

When it comes to feelings, it's like her heart's been frozen shut.

The air crackles as the hired thug and his brother approach. Toguro cuts her. She does not react.

We've already tried filling that girl up with every kind of pain imaginable. No matter what, she just stares at the damn wall.

The cut heals itself, her skin knitting itself back together as she keeps her gaze level with the wall.

The sound of flapping wings breaks the silence - Yukina's eyes widen. She panics. The birds are caught, and she pleads for mercy, but the Toguro brothers have none. She cries, just as they want her to, and collapses to the ground as her tears harden into precious jewels. Tarukane leaves to make his money. The younger Toguro shoots a few parting words over his shoulder before he, too, turns to go.

You can make this easier on yourself. Give up hope and start practicing how to cry.

In the corner of the room with someone else who has been pulled into this memory, Yukina watches her younger self on the floor, her expression a mirror of the impassive look that had been on her face when Toguro cut her cheek.]

haru;
[The scene opens on what looks like it might be a space station - although it isn't Thesa. Haru and her friends are staring down a man in a spacesuit and an unpleasant-looking man in a white business suit. They're in the midst of an argument of some kind - and then it takes a turn for the ugly when the white-suited man saunters forward.

One moment, he is a man.

Now, why don't you come... to my place?

The next, his form changes - he's a gigantic robot with a glowing red visor where his eyes should be, and he towers over Haru and the rest of the Phantom Thieves.

A high school fiancée... what a turn-on!

The robot looms over her and leans in as if to strike, but as the other Phantom Thieves panic, Haru's Persona appears, blocking the strike with a wave of her fan. Haru cries out and clutches at her head, collapsing to the ground as a spotlight shines down on her because the Metaverse is extra as hell.

Freedom for you must stem from betrayal.

Haru struggles to her feet as her Persona speaks to her and she speaks back.

Let us adorn your departure into freedom with a beautiful betrayal.

She stands, and massive guns appear out from under her Persona's skirt. Some of the Phantom Thieves stumble back in shock, but she glares at her father and her fiancé both.]

Farewell, dear Father. I am no longer your subservient puppet!

[Then so be it... You're worthless.

Her father turns away, leaving them to fight the robot.

You poor thing... I'll toy with you until you break!]

yona;
[It's snowing.

A much younger Yona stands in front of her father, who is crying. She tries to assure him that he isn't alone, that he still has her even if her mother - his wife - is gone, and that she'll be okay too because she has Soo-won.

...and then Soo-won's voice breaks through. The both of them are standing in a snowy courtyard, and he excitedly points out the weather. She responds halfheartedly. He shows her a snowball, and then some weird snow creature, and she doesn't respond... until he says her name once more and she snaps out of it abruptly. and she snaps out of it -

I-I'm fine! she says, without prompting. I'm going to perk up so Father will stop crying!

She jumps into the air and twirls - and lands right on somebody's stomach.

It's Hak, lying in the snow, engraving proof of his existence on the earth in the form of snow angels. Soo-won seems engrossed by how cool he is, but Yona takes the opportunity to make a snowball of her own and throw it right at his face. He responds in kind. Soo-won cheers the fact that Yona's energy has returned.

They play in the snow for so long that Yona gets sick. Lying in bed, she asks where her father is - the nurse assures her he'll be by soon. Hak and Soo-won assure her of the same thing, and when it comes out that they've gotten sick as well, they all rest together.

Soo-won's father and Hak's grandfather come to visit them.

King Il does not come.

Yona refuses to eat.

Outside the doors of the room, palace servants speculate that he won't come because he is too afraid of catching his daughter's illness. Soo-won yells for them to be quiet, and he and Hak remind her that she isn't alone. They push their futons close together and fall asleep.

In the middle of the night, Yona's stomach growls loudly, and Soo-won calls for food. It's her favorite chicken rice porridge that gets delivered, but when Yona takes a bite -

It tastes unbelievably bad!

The door slides open to reveal Il, who had made the dish himself to make up for not having come to visit sooner. Yona eats the entire thing with a smile.

The next morning, all three of them are recovered. They sit on the palace steps and lament that they can't stay together in bed with their colds anymore, all three of them.

It's easy to just stay together, Hak says.

You're right, Soo-won agrees.

Soo-won, Hak... come play with me tomorrow, too, Yona requests. Come play, forever and ever!

If there are any memories that Yona - the grown-up Yona with short hair that's been caught up with all this reminiscing - would lose herself in, it's likely these ones. Her expression is fond but a little sad as she watches the three of them on the steps.]

...I guess it wasn't so easy to stay together after all...

[Stick around in these memories for long enough, though, and they'll become decidedly less pleasant. They come quickly, just flashes of memory rather than a long, drawn-out scene - Yona finds her father's body, and finds Soo-won holding the blade. She runs from the room and is pursued by Soo-won's soldiers - and only survives thanks to a timely intervention by Hak.

Hak leads her out of the palace and to the safety of the village of Fuuga. Yona bars Hak's way and refuses to let him leave alone.

Give yourself to me!

The pair of them are pursued by Fire Tribe soldiers across cliffs on the mountains. Hak shields her from poison-tipped arrows with his own body, hides her away somewhere safe, and goes to fight the soldiers himself. They get him to the edge of a cliff and are about to kill him when Yona emerges from her hiding place to try and help -

A man in noble clothing grabs her by the hair to prevent her from going to him. She steals his sword from his waist and cuts herself free.

When she tries to help Hak up from the cliff, they both go falling over the side instead.

...but hey, that answers the question of how and when she got her haircut, for anyone who happened to be watching with her.]

wildcard;

[If none of the above works for you (or if you want to do a memshare thing with your own character's memories or want a different memory for one of mine), just hit me with whatever and note which character you want! Alternatively, hit me up by PM or at hungriest and I'll be glad to write a personalized starter for you.]

Comments

haru haru haru

[ghettobatman]

[ okay but what the fuck just happened. matt's only able to catch part of what--- well, what he can on assume is a memory. it feels rude to intrude or press her on that --- specifically as he knows this is haru's (he can her her voice), but he can't help himself. ]

[ his voice is low, and even. ]

Was that your father, Haru?

[ a beat. ]

I'm sorry to intrude.

[frombetrayal]

Ah...

[Matt's voice is out of place in the memory. Haru turns toward him, startled, and then averts her eyes (not that he can see it).]

...it was, yes. My father and my... [ugh] My fiancé.

[Both, at this point in the memory, are thoroughly unpleasant people. Time will tell whether or not they're stuck here long enough to see just how unpleasant.]

I'm sorry you had to [well, not "see"] hear that...

[ghettobatman]

[ he feels around the air a little awkwardly, to try to put a hand on her shoulder. he might get there eventually. ]

You don't have anything to apologize for, Haru.

[ ... ]

But it isn't ex-fiancé?

[frombetrayal]

[He gets her head, not her shoulder. It's fine. Close enough.]

Well... that little detail hadn't been completely taken care of before the Natha rescued us, so I can't finalize it unless he wakes up.

[She'd prefer that he didn't wake, though.

For obvious reasons.]

[ghettobatman]

[ he tried and therefore no one can criticize him. ]

If he does wake up, let me go. I've presided over similar cases. I'll make sure he doesn't bother you.

[ even if he's.... a fucking robot apparently, at this point matt doesn't question anything. ]

Is that usual behavior, for your father?

[frombetrayal]

Eh?

[Huh. That's a kind offer - but how much is the retainer fee going to be... Can she even afford it...]

Um... yes. I'll let you know.

[Provided she can't scare him off with her axe, anyway.]

...Father wasn't always like this. But the more successful his business became, the more focused he was on doing whatever he could to maintain that success.

[ghettobatman]

[ he's pro-bono!! also: may beat up this robot dude.......... maybe. ]

Please do. I find that kind of behavior completely deplorable.

[ to put it lightly. his tone softens, though. ]

And the more he saw you as a possession?

[frombetrayal]

I do, as well.

[meanwhile, memory!haru kicks the robot's ass]

Something like that, I think. ...in the end, I never did have to go and live with my fiancé, so I'm grateful for that...

[Even if things never really worked out that she could reconcile with her father. Alas.]

This is just a painful memory now. It's not reality any longer.

[ghettobatman]

[ well, that's good at least..... ]

Things have improved, then? .... Not that it's any of my business.

[ doesn't seem to stop him from asking, regardless.... ]

[frombetrayal]

Oh— yes! They've improved drastically.

[Granted, her father is still... dead, but she's also got more freedom than she's ever had in her life.]

Thanks to my friends... um, the others that you might have heard before. [Heard, not seen. Ahaha...] They saved me.

[ghettobatman]

Some good news then.

[ yeah heard, hilarious...... she's not wrong, though. ]

Were you able to reconcile with your father? Stop me if that's too personal.

[ hm. yikes. ]

[frombetrayal]

...

[Yeah. Too personal.

But before Haru can say so, their surroundings change. This time, the Phantom Thieves are in their normal, everyday clothing, looking for all intents and purposes like they're just honest high school students... high school students who have an entire theme park rented out to themselves, anyway. Some of them are even wearing cute little animal ears! There's fireworks in the background. It's all very pretty.

Too bad Matt can't see it, but he'll hear Haru's voice in the memory -

"Isn't everything going a little too perfectly? It's actually a bit frightening..."

Then they all whip out their phones, because of course they do. ...they watch a press conference, which isn't exactly typical.

The way Haru's father drops dead in the middle of it isn't typical, either.

Haru in the memory bolts. Haru by Matt's side stays frozen.

The space station was an unpleasant memory, but this one is downright painful.]

[ghettobatman]

[ that's some real awkward timing there. matt freezes in place similar to how haru's doing as it dawns on him. how the fuck do they stop this memory train. did he trigger this, somehow, by being a nosy fuck? for a beat, he's speechless. then. ]

I'm so sorry, Haru. It wasn't my place, and --- I'm sorry.