kaisou | come with me take the journey

Entry tags:

come with me take the journey

WHO: March 7th and you!
WHERE: Libra app, crossposted onto Gemini, and her labyrinth!
WHEN: early June
WHAT: March 7th gets a vacation from her vacation on Penacony.
WARNINGS: Honkai: Star Rail 2.1 spoilers, some trauma surrounding almost getting arrested

[one: ~~penacony~~ ~~goethe hotel~~ ???]

[This place is…unsettling, to say the least.

March likes to think she’s started to get used to the Dreamscape’s strangeness: the dream bubbles, the animated inanimate objects, the casual defiance of any laws of reality, the walking on walls, everything. She’s a natural at handling it—at least that’s what she’ll say to anyone who asks.

But this is—

She doesn’t know where she is in the Dreamscape, exactly. Only that wherever she is, it’s yanked the Goethe Hotel out from her memory and corrupted it in the exact same way as the collapsing sweet dream, scattered dream bubbles in its familiar corridors and twisted them around so she keeps getting turned around. Her bow in hand, she turns the corner and—]

Ah!!! [She’s startled right out of her wits, conjuring an arrow to nock onto her bow before she registers that it’s—a person! Oh thank Akivili. She lets the bowstring go slack as the arrow disappears into thin air and slumps against the wall.] Oh, you’re a real person! Can you help me get back to the Golden Hour? My friends and I got split up after [she waves a hand] all of that, and I’m trying to get back to them.

[two: libra/gemini, un: photocutie]

[Oh, look: March found the rainbow boba. She holds up her cup to show it off excitedly, on the move and no worse for the wear from her journey through her labyrinth.]

You guys, they’re selling rainbow boba! At a discount! The guy at the counter was super sweet and even let me have a rainbow cookie to go with it, isn’t it great? You’re really missing out if you’re here! If you’re not…

[She falters for a second, but quickly puts a smile back on her face.]

Anyway—if anyone from the Astral Express is here, you’ve gotta respond to the group chat, I’ve been messaging you guys for hours and I haven’t gotten anything back. Everybody else: hi! I’m March 7th. Your city’s so colorful, there are so many rainbows everywhere. What’s going on?

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[A gal with a lot of pink- and a set of little velvetty antlers- comes on screen.]

Oh, you got the Pride Boba? Yeah, I tried one earlier, it's good right? They really found a good balance of fruits...

[M. March 7th..?? ....Well it's no 'Abcde' at least.]

Oh- the rainbows are for Pride Month. [does she have to explain pride. heck]

[Give Caleb a moment, he just woke up. Yes, even if it's mid-afternoon. He's allowed. That does mean March gets a video of just Neptune the Dewott chattering at her for a few moments while Caleb gets a shirt on, though!]

Neptune, give that back--

[Yoink! Don't mind the silvery bedhead, please.]

Did you say the Astral Express?

"Oh, hey, did you just get here?"

That talk about an 'astral express' made Ritsuka wonder if this was another person from another world, like herself, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions too quickly.

I did! It’s so tasty, I wanna get it again tomorrow. It tastes a little like the Luofu’s Immortal Delight.

[Oh, yep, because the Pride Month reference sails right over March’s head.]

What’s a Pride Month?

Edited 2024-06-07 01:43 (UTC)

[Oh my gosh that Dewott is so adorable she’s melting—]

Awww, you cute little thing, c’mere so I can get a closer—Caelus!

[OH GOOD IT’S HER BFF.]

Yes! [Duh.] I’ve been trying to message you and Miss Himeko and Mr. Yang for hours! Where are you guys?

[Ah. Caleb sort of gives the girl a sheepish, almost ashamed smile.]

It's, uh, it's Caleb. Caelus was...my. Uh. Past? Life?

I wonder if it's possible to try that here...

[She has no idea what an Immortal Delight is, but with what's shown up in Kaisou the last year or so, she's not going to assume it'll never happen.

...

aw butts she has to explain pride-]

...So first question...Does the word 'LGBT' mean anything to you?

Yep! Fresh from Penacony, Planet of Festivities. You—probably haven’t heard of it, if this world is really as isolated as I hear it is.

[So a bit like Belobog, but a lot less cold.]

What’s your name?

"I haven't, no, though I'm not from this version of Earth, either."

Might as well get that out of the way, lest she be mistaken for a true local.

"I'm Ritsuka! Fujimaru Ritsuka."

[Kafka doesn't make a habit of helping people.]

[But she has a lot of unchecked rage and aggression recently. The labyrinths provide a nice outlet. When she hobs into March's, it's very clear she's in Penacony. She's never been herself, but she's done her research.]

[When March turns the bow on her, Kafka raises her hands in mock surrender.]

Oh, I remember you. You're one of their little friends, aren't you?

[Although it might come off as a mocking tone, she means it genuinely. She's grateful for everything that the Astral Express has done.]

Sorry to say, but you won't be going back to Penacony anytime soon. I can take you back to town, though. There's a few people who'll be glad to see you. Follow me.

…what?

[Give her a second. She needs to sit down.]

Like. Like Dan Heng? [She remembers how insistent Dan Heng had been, that he was no one but himself and certainly not this Dan Feng. She didn’t think it would happen to Caelus, though.] So you’re—not Caelus, but you have his memories?

[…is she alone?]

Sorta, yeah. I don't have all of them, and I don't know if I will but...I remember you. [Sorta.] Your room had all the stuffed animals.

I know you! You’re that Stellaron Hunter from the Luofu—you’re Kafka. [She scowls at her. It’s very fearsome. Or at least it’s as fearsome as March can muster, which isn’t really that terrifying and is wasted on someone like Kafka who can’t even feel fear anyway. Ughhh.

At least she hasn’t raised her bow again.]

Whatever it is you’re planning, I’m not gonna fall for it. [She informs her of this while reluctantly straightening up to follow her out of the maze.] I’m only coming with you because it’s you or being stuck here.

—what do you mean, we’re not in Penacony anymore? This looks like the Dreamscape to me.

[From the Astral Express, huh? That was mentioned in Caleb's mind palace... but if this girl is talking about it is she from that world? Hm.

Probably important to keep in mind for very, very soon but you know what's even more important? Gay Boba.]

Isn't it great? They should sell the gay boba all year around if you ask me. It feels like it's been missing from my life for so long, I don't know what I'd do without it now!

Guilty. I'm honored you remember me.

[Kafka, this is someone you're supposed to be getting on the good side of! Can you stop being a villain for five minutes???]

[No.]

Oh, I assure you, I'm not planning anything.

[----That doesn't have to do with the Black Order, but that's not what March is worried about. Kafka is happy to start leading March to the exit of the maze, killing anything that gets in their path.]

Mmm. It certainly looks like it, doesn't it? But this place is just a fabrication--something built from your memories.

[Kafka picks up one of the decorations, playing with it.]

It looks real. It feels real. But it's nothing but a facsimile. Welcome to the world of Kaisou.

Edited 2024-06-07 02:04 (UTC)

[ ... Old habits die hard, and sneaking into gates was something he's been doing for the last 15 years or so in order to get out of dodge. Seeing the tear in reality like this and hopping into it just came naturally.

After all, it could be a new gate popping up; it could be an easy new hiding place if push came to shove.
So imagine Sampo's surprise when he sneaks into this one and is faced with... a lot of stuff he recognises.

The bubbles, the twisting corridors--it's all painfully familiar, and yet, the memories are so, so cloudy.

He's lost in thought as he wanders quietly, trying to... drag up where, exactly, this memory is from, when he hears that voice calling to him. To 'a real person'. He turns his head with a bit of a funny expression as....
He realises he recognises that voice too. (But from where?) ]

Golden Hour? [ His eyes flicker for a moment and there's an image of a giant clock statue, and flowing, giant cups of Soulglad...

He puts a hand on his forehead. ]

Ahaha. Heh.

I mean, I think I remember the way to Golden Hour, but it isn't through any of these halls. [ what is this place, Aha. Stop laughing and answer him. ]

Sssssorry. I think we're pretty far from home here, Miss March.

[And here she perks up.]

Yeah! You remember right. My room’s the nicest, cutest room on the Astral Express. I’ve got lots of stuffed toys and photos—oh, jeez, my photos, they’re all back on the Express.

[And if she’s stuck here for a while, then she can’t get to them, which is all kinds of rude.]

D’you remember Penacony? Because that’s where I just came from.

[Dan Heng is just minding his own business, scrolling through his phone. Partially in the vain hope that he'll see a familiar face or two. He's been lucky so far, but he recognizes that the odds are still extremely low to find anyone else he'd been close to from any of his past lives.

He almost drops his phone when he opens up the app and immediately sees a familiar pink-haired young lady. Dan Heng almost wonders if this is even real.

Then he starts paying attention to what she has to say. There's a twist in his stomach as he realizes that she must be from their universe directly. An outworlder, not a reincarnation. That means... she remembers them as they were.

...Dan Heng supposes that it must be a trade, in a way. In his previous life, his reincarnation meant forgetting the bonds he had between the High-Cloud Quintet. Now, in this one... it means forgetting the bonds he had with the Astral Express crew. Not in its totality, of course, but in a very similar way. It's easier with Caleb when they can just start over on the same page, but for March... he's afraid it'll hurt her to know she'd been forgotten.

He debates with himself for a long time before finally getting the courage to turn on the video and respond.]

[Bailey doesn't make a habit of ducking into labyrinths like this, but they've gotten the basics down by now with regards to what these places are about. And if there's someone there who needs help, far be it from Bailey to just leave them there. Might as well help!

And when Bailey notices a bow and arrow pointed at her, she summons a shadowy sword on reflex, startled. But once the arrow disappears, so too does Bailey's sword dissipate, as she nods in greeting.]

Golden Hour... I'm afraid I'm not sure where that is. I can get you out of here-- [She waves a hand around at their surroundings.] It's for the best we don't stick around, anyway.

[At least Dan Heng doesn't look terribly different from his previous life. The only difference is that he's wearing clothes that's normally found here in this world.]

I haven't tried the promotional boba yet, but it looks... daunting.

[He hesitates.]

There's... a reason we haven't responded. Have you managed to get into contact with anyone else?

[Mostly, Dan Heng's trying to gauge if he's going to have to be the one to break the news to March or if she's already been prepped to hear it.]

Edited 2024-06-07 02:22 (UTC)

What are you doing here, you blue-haired menace?

[March puts her hips on her hands and gives Sampo her best glare. It’s not very intimidating considering it’s March and she’s generally not a very scary person—we can’t all be Dan Heng and his death glares.

She’s aware of it, at least, because she sighs.]

You’re pretty far from home, [she corrects,] but this looks a lot like the Dreamscape to me. Look, see, there’s the dream bubbles.

I don’t get it. Why’s the boba gay?

[oh baby girl.]

For gay pride!

[That tells her nothing.]

[ it's NOT a very menacing glare, and weirdly enough, while slight animosity from a stranger usually makes Sampo uncomfortable enough to turn on theatrics, he's. Feeling amused by this. Playful, even, as he opens his arms in a 'surrender' gesture as she namecalls him. ]

Just slipped in from the nearest gate. Trust me, if I knew I was going to pop in on you, I might have brought reinforcements so you wouldn't be so ready to skin me with one of those arrows of yours.

Listen. Listen listen listen--I don't know what kind of place you're in--but this sure is NOT Penacony. It's just somewhere that looks like it, and is. Probably actually dangerous. Those --Animitronics over there? They're looking Pre-tt-y mean, don't you think? Come on, trust your ol' Pal Sampo for just five minutes and I promise, I'll get you to your other Nameless buddies. Okay?

Dan Heng! Oh, good, you’re here too! You really should try the boba, it’s so good, and anyway it’s better than SoulGlad.

[Coming from March, that’s rather high praise. But she does deflate somewhat.]

Caelus—um, no, Caleb [she’s trying] got into contact with me, yeah. I haven’t seen Miss Himeko or Mr. Yang, though.

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come with me take the journey

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2/2 Gemini Video | UN: lunae

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