October Catch-All! [SEMI-OPEN]

[destiny_key]

WHO: Sora and YOU!!!
WHERE: Around Recolle
WHEN: Throughout October
WHAT: Nightmares, Fog, Depression, and just sort of not having a good time in general
WARNINGS: I'm not kidding about the depression, there's gonna be a lot of talk about that sort of thing.

[I - A memory more confusing the more you think about it]

Something about the fog made him uneasy. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it made Sora wonder if it was just his anxiety exploding through the roof, or if Recolle really was getting more and more dangerous as time went on. Both possibilities weren't fun to think about, but if he had to choose, he would probably pick the imaginary danger over the actual physical danger. But honestly, sometimes he wondered what the difference was.

But still, he walked home after soccer, the same as he did any other day. With the days shortening and the air getting colder every day, by the time he would make it back home, it was pitch black and freezing. But he was almost a grown-up, right? Why should he be afraid of a little fog? It's not like it was going to come out and bite him, right? Unless, of course, he was being followed by a familiar figure, with a not so familiar Keyblade.

Sora doesn't notice, until he does, and when he does, that's when the fog engulfs him, and he yelps loudly as this younger version of Dante rushes forward to take a swing at him. He manages to parry with his own Keyblade just in time, but the hit still knocks him back, and he moves away as Dante grins maniacally and begins to speak. His voice is overlaid with another, and the effect is creepy and terrifying, and if Sora thought he was panicking before, that's nothing compared to now.

"Is that all? Pathetic. Just give up, loser."

[II - Try not to think about it too hard]

Of course, the nights where he does make it home on time aren't really any better. True, he doesn't have to deal with the physical dangers that the fog presents, but he still has to deal with himself. He's so exhausted, homework is like a far off dream, and really, it's no wonder his grades are plummeting when he's not even able to do his homework. Sora's evening generally consists of  going straight to bed after he walks in the door, trying to catch a few precious hours of sleep before he's inevitably woken again by nightmares.

He's been having the nightmares for a while now, but the month of October only seems to have amplified them tenfold. He wakes up several times a night, and by 3am, he's done trying to sleep. That usually ends up being the bit where he watches cat videos and Vine compilations for a few hours.

And even when he does manage to stay asleep, there's now the risk of someone walking in on his dreams and seeing everything. Seeing all the bits he tries so hard to hide.

"You're stupid! Sooner or later they'll swallow your heart!"

"Not a chance," the dream Dante responds. "My heart's too strong!"

And then he summons the shadows, and they engulf Sora, dragging him under, and all he can see on all sides is the disappointed faces of everyone from both this life and the previous one, before they turn around and leave him before he can beg them to stay.

[III - It might come back to bite you]

All this business with the nightmares and the fog is effecting Sora's school performance. He's sleeping in class, barely able to keep his eyes open, and several times he's gotten in trouble for it. His grades, previously maintained at a steady B average, are now slipping into C's and D's and F's, getting 50% on tests because even if he knows the answer he can't remember it. When the teacher speaks, it's like it's unintelligible and floats through his brain before getting lost in the noise.

His performance in soccer is suffering, too. He can't keep up with the other boys anymore, his energy is gone halfway through the drills he knows by heart. And as he drags himself to sit on the bench, he wonders, not for the first time, if he should just save everyone the trouble and quit the team already. It's a bit sad when he's being outrun by the freshmen boys.

At the end of the day, he's sitting by himself on the bench outside school, waiting for his mom to pick him up, because he doesn't even have the energy to walk the few blocks back to his house. And for someone who's usually so happy, it's unnerving to see him so distraught.

Comments

[Closed to Sakura]

[destiny_key]

Sleeping everywhere and anywhere does, of course, mean anywhere. In class, at home, in the car, on a bench in the park... The possibilities are endless, really. Especially when you have a dog to watch you and make sure you don't get robbed or whatever when you pass out.

The park bench is an excellent place to take a nap, in particular, if you're an old homeless guy, but maybe not so much when you're a young teenage boy. Sora's currently sleeping on the bench from pure exhaustion, having fallen asleep nearly as soon as he sat down. Wound around his hand several times is a leach, and on that leash is attached a dog who is sitting at attention and watching the commotion of the park with interest.

Buck, who is a good boy, won't move from the spot unless someone approaches, but he might be persuaded if someone friendly were to come offer him pets.

[imaginex]

Dogs to pet? Yes please. Sakura is an avid believer in drowning animals in affection, even if she herself doesn't have the energy for most of them. It's why she enjoys walks through the city, especially the parks; there are plenty of dogs in need of attention, and owners who are all too glad for someone else to dote on their animals.

... Though in this case, said owner is passed out like he hit the bars -- and in the middle of the day, too. Sakura might've allowed for that possibility, except the boy can't be much older than her. Maybe a bit younger? It's hard to tell from this angle, and despite herself, Sakura creeps up closer, pausing long enough to offer Buck a smile and a hand to smell.

"Neh, is that your owner?" Yes, Sakura, because the dog is obviously going to answer you. This does nothing to dissuade her from speaking out-loud, eyebrows knit in concern.

[destiny_key]

Buck reaches out a nose to sniff Sakura's hand, stretching his neck a bit but not moving from his spot. You must smell pretty friendly, because he licks the hand a few times before moving away.

Sadly, Buck is only a normal dog, not a magical talking one, so he does nothing more than look at Sakura and pant a bit when she asks her question. Sora continues to sleep on in the background, not even stirring at the new person in the proximity. Upon closer inspection, he looks pretty exhausted, but it doesn't seem like he's been here that long.

[imaginex]

The dog's tongue tickles her fingers, eliciting a smile and Sakura wigging her fingers like she wishes she could scratch behind those adorable ears. But first things first - her concern hasn't gone anywhere, and so she straightens, approaching with more purpose until she's standing by the side of the bench, looking down at the boy.

The exhaustion is... familiar, to be honest. Sakura can now make a few guesses as to why he's passed out in broad daylight. It helps to calm her anxiety about bothering a stranger, and after a pause, she places a hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle shake. "Um... hello?"

It's not that she wants to disturb his rest, but sleeping like this can't be safe, even with his dog guarding him.

[destiny_key]

Buck, having seemingly decided that this girl is a friend, does nothing when Sakura reaches over to disturb his owner's rest. Sora, however, nearly immediately sits up with a gasp upon being shaken, looking around wildly until his eyes land on Sakura. He blinks, eyes wide, and then reaches up to rub at his eyes with the hand not holding Buck's leash.

"Oh. Um..." Sora starts awkwardly, not sure of what to say. Had he been sleeping? How long had he been out?

[imaginex]

With a reaction like that, Sakura recoils despite herself, jerking her hand back to her chest as if she accidentally hurt the boy. Yikes, okay, maybe she should've tried being a bit more careful.

"Sorry, I--" She's not doing much better in the awkward department, and gives a sheepish smile.

"I know you have your dog with you, but I thought it might be dangerous sleeping outside in the middle of the day?"

I

[standalonehuman]

All of the cops have started to notice what's happening, so they've been stepping up their patrols. Togusa is no exception, starting out near the schools tonight. The fog rolling in now sets him on edge, where he thought it was just the normal weather off the ocean at the start of this month.

He hears shouts ahead, it's starting again. He hesitates before radioing it in. Anyone not on the application might not be able to help. He rushes forwards, prepared to act, but he freezes at what he sees. Hell.

"Dante! Sora!" What the hell? His hand doesn't go anywhere near his weapon, he's learned his lesson on this one. Figure the situation out first.

[destiny_key]

Neither boy seems to notice Togusa at first, Dante continuing to approach Sora with hate in his eyes with Sora trying to back away. His eyes... even more than the voice, it's Dante's eyes, manic with corruption and darkness, that terrify Sora.

When Togusa calls out to them, Sora whips around to see who it is. Dante, however, seems like he didn't hear at all, and instead his grin widens at the sudden opening, and while Sora is distracted, just for a moment, Dante swings his Keyblade and nails Sora right in the gut.

Sora goes flying from the hit, falling back a few feet and crashing to the ground with a cry of pain. Dante only laughs coldly, eyes still trained on Sora.

"See? You're worthless."

[standalonehuman]

"DANTE!" Togusa cries out when he moves. No. No, this isn't right. Togusa steps forwards, but he hesitates. He can't mess this up again.

He falls silent, and it almost looks like he's staring into space for a moment, breathing hard. The joys of having a subvocal communicator.

"Sora, get back." Quiet at first, then louder. Togusa shakes his head, still staring absently. "Get the hell back, that's not him." He grits his teeth, and his hand is inching towards his gun.

[destiny_key]

Sora sits up, his head ringing as he dazedly surveys Dante continue to stalk towards him. He shakes his head to try and rid himself of the sensation as Togusa shouts at him to back away.

"But... I..."

He looks back and forth between the two, unsure of what he should do. But Dante is closing in again, out for blood, and Togusa is a police officer. Would he get in trouble if he refused to back down? But shouldn't he try to solve this on his own?

Sora's decision is made for him when Dante bears down on him with another swing, and he's forced to parry it with his own Keyblade. He takes a swing towards Dante, making the other boy jump back, and then gets to his feet so he can start to back away.

[standalonehuman]

"Dante's not here," Togusa is speaking very quickly. "That's not him, he's somewhere else." He is saying this half to Sora, and half to himself. It's not him. So you have to act. But the fact that what they are facing down looks like Dante freezes Togusa's hand. He grips his gun, but he still doesn't draw. God, he almost shot Dante once before.

So instead he steps forwards, trying to move protectively towards Sora. Why the hell is he putting himself between two people more dangerous than himself? It's the only thing he can think to do. "If we run-" Hesitant. "Do you think he's going to go after someone else?"

III

[brokenlight]

This whole nightmare and fog thing going on has been enough for Hikari to lose some sleep himself, but ever since that run-in with Dante, it made him want to check in on Sora. His younger cousin was good at evading questions, so what better than to go and check up on him himself?

So, he managed to convince the twins' mom to let him pick Sora up from school instead, taking the time to walk when he notices the younger teen.

"Sora." He calls out to him, voice tinged with worry as he rushes over to him.

[destiny_key]

Sora looks up from where he was half-heartedly fiddling with his phone, surprise apparent on his face. The University is pretty far from here, so seeing a college student at the high school is a little weird. Unless Hikari had come here for a reason?

"Hey," Sora calls back, vaguely waving his hand in greeting. "What's up?"

[brokenlight]

"I came to pick you up."

It's a simple enough answer, right? "We haven't really hung out together so I asked your mom if it was all right."

He doesn't mind traveling far from the University to come pick Sora up. Fortunately, it's one of his 'off' days from classes so he had some time.

[destiny_key]

"Oh. Um, okay," Sora replies reluctantly. It's not that he doesn't adore Hikari, because he does, but he's not so sure he's up for hanging out right now. He's exhausted, and honestly all he wants to do is go home and try to sleep.

But Hikari seems like he really wants to hang out, and who is Sora to deny him? He'll live, probably.

"Did you have something you wanted to do?"

[brokenlight]

"Just walk for now."

Hikari looks over at him for a moment before he offers him his hand. "And maybe grab a quick bite to eat. You look like some food would do you some good right now."

And it would help ease his own worries about his cousin after what's happened.

iii

[skald]

Tuuri isn't sleeping well either, and it's also taking its toll, no matter how hard she tries to pretend otherwise. Turns out staying up all night and napping during the day around class and work isn't particularly sustainable, even if she's supplementing it all with a ton of coffee. She's on her way back from a coffeeshop-- today the benefit of caffeine and a brisk walk in the daytime outweighed stealing another thirty minutes of sleep in the library-- when she passes the high school.

She almost doesn't recognize Sora when she walks by him. Seems like everyone could use a break, huh? Poor Sora. She'll just have to be a little extra cheerful to help him along.

"Hey Sora!" she says, waving as she stops, her face breaking out into as big a smile as she could manage. "Is everything okay? I have some chocolate if you want some!"

She does, in fact, hold out a piece of chocolate. That's how you cheer people up, right?

[destiny_key]

It's times like these that Sora kind of wishes he drank coffee. But he's already not sleeping, and he doesn't dare do anything that would make him sleep less at night. It's still a nice thought.

As he looks up at Tuuri from his phone, he's a little surprised to see her. For a second, he forgets where he is, and he just looks tired and drawn as he blinks up at her. Then he remembers, and he puts the smile back on his face.

"Oh, hey," he says, stuffing his phone into his pocket. "Oh, uh, I'm fine. Thanks."

He does, in fact, take the chocolate, but it's more to be polite than because he wants it. He still remembers the birthday party, though.

"It's not joke chocolate, right?"

[skald]

She hesitates for a second when Sora looks up at her. He does seem to be taking this rather roughly, but... well, he said he's fine. Pushing back against that is pretty uncomfortable. She should probably take his word for it. But even then, it doesn't hurt to chat for a little while. Just in case.

"Hahaha, no, it's chocolate that you'd actually like!" she says, waving the suggestion away. "I'm all out of special Finnish chocolate, anyway. What are you up to? Are you waiting for someone? I don't want to get in the way if you are!"

[destiny_key]

"Oh, uh, I'm not doing anything, no. Just waiting for my mom to pick me up."

He hopes she shows up soon, actually, since he's been waiting for a while and he'd quite like to go home, but he wouldn't mind the company while he waits. He slides over on the bench to make room for Tuuri.

Honestly, she looks just as tired as he feels. Maybe they can be tired together.

III

[missingache]

[Curiosity is what brings Shiori to the high school. In all his time back in Recolle, for some reason he had avoided coming here. With the fog and nightmares around? This... Might as well bite the bullet and see where some of the people and his brother are going to school.

Which is just where he finds the one person he's been avoiding since their fight back in September. Shiori wraps his hand around the strap of his bag, gripping it tightly as he watches his older brother. Should he say something? Like hello? Or just walk away... Part of him wants to say something. It's been a very long time since he's seen anything close to that expression on Sora's face. Not since their dad...]

Aren't you supposed to be at practice?

[destiny_key]

Huh?

[He hadn't been expecting his brother. The University was several blocks away, practically on the other side of the district, and college students would have to go out of their way to come here. Shiori had no reason to come here. Why would he care enough to?

Sora blinks at him for several seconds while his sleep-deprived brain tries to catch up to the situation. But Shiori probably hates to be stared at, so Sora moves his gaze back down to his lap.]

Oh. Um... It was cancelled, I think. For today. It was cancelled today.

[missingache]

[Sora looking away, answering so weakly... Shiori bristles at that.]

Don't lie. I doubt they'd cancel it when the weather's fine.

[If it had been cancelled, wouldn't Sora be at home already? It doesn't really make sense. Then again, Shiori isn't expecting Sora to be truthful with him at all since they're fight. It's not like... no, they're still brothers. Just. Not on very good terms.]

[destiny_key]

[Sora flinches when his brother accuses him of lying. Well, he's not wrong, per-say, but he wasn't flat out lying either. But the tone is harsh, and it makes him feel like he's in trouble for something.

He takes a deep breath and tries to amend his previous statement.]

It was cancelled for me. I'm... not going.

[Well, Shiori kept telling him to quit soccer, didn't he? Maybe he'd stop being mad now. But probably not, if he knew his brother at all.]

[missingache]

[Cancelled for...... Sora, what did you do...]

They wouldn't just cancel it for someone for no reason. What happened?

[Despite their fight... this is his big brother. Shiori can be a little worried...]