semi-open ☆ everything was completely a nightmare

[promisedyou]

WHO: Mio Sonozaki, any close CR or anybody who saw the murder dreams!
WHERE: The mental ward.
WHEN: Weekends in July.
WHAT: Mental ward visits!
WARNINGS: Potential mentions of suicide, murder, hallucinations and self-deprecation.

[All throughout the month, Mio is going to be in the mental ward — of course, she isn't going to be openly advertising it, so it's actually going to be rather difficult to get ahold of her. Not to mention that visits are only on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and only last an hour, total, so you better make them quick!

Because she definitely doesn't have the time to waste.

Of course, she's looking rather poorly; her hair is a lot shorter but also a mess, her eyes are rather bloodshot as if she's been struggling to get any sort of rest. It's just not a fun time overall.]

(OOC: If you're a character that has close CR with Mio, please contact me for dates - she'll be available on these days: 8, 14/15, 21/22, 28/29!)

Comments

7/1

[hairstroke]

[ True to his word, Leon arrives at the mental ward shortly after leaving his last response to Mio's network comment. As soon as they finished speaking, he practically bolts to the ward, desperate to see her. They had been separated for far too long and he didn't care that it was late, he just needed to be her side as soon as possible.

Of course, there's no denying that he's very nervous. This is the first time he's seen her face to face in person and he's worried about her well being. Despite acting like everything was fine over the network, he knew that she wasn't okay and it made his heart ache knowing that she had to be suffering.

Every step felt like the penultimate moment as he stepped in and looked for Mio. When he finally does see her, he's shocked by her change in appearance. He didn't expect the change in hair style but he had a feeling she cut it shortly after the murder. Was it a way to repent? Honestly, he felt like she didn't need to go that far.

Even though he finally gets to meet her, he's at a loss for words and it takes him a moment to speak. His throat feels dry as he swallows hard before finally greeting her. ]

Mio...

[ One of the first things she might notice about him is that his hair and eyes are back to his original color before Retrospec changed it. ]

[promisedyou]

Ah— [She can't help but look rather surprised at the changes in how his eyes and hair color are back to normal and there's a part of her that feels guilty because she took that away from him, too. But at the same time... he's back to the way he used to be. Mio reaches out for him but then pulls her hand close to her chest.] You're... real, right? You're not another hallucination, right?

[hairstroke]

[ Learning that she's had even more halluciations honestly hurts him more than being stabbed with that kitchen knife. She's already been through so much and he loathes that Retrospec continues to make her suffer. Why could they just live happily ever after? Why do bad things keep having to happen to the two of them? ]

I assure you, I'm real and not going anywhere, Mio.

[ To further prove his point, he immediately pulls her in for an embrace, burying his face into her shoulder while running his fingers through her much more shorter length hair. He hitches a breath and it's taking every ounce of willpower to not cry and it's obvious from how shaky is voice is when he finally speaks. ]

I've missed you so much...

[promisedyou]

[The moment he pulls her in close is the same moment where her heart aches out of guilt because she doesn't feel like she deserves this. And more than that, the fact that it's so warm and comforting and she wants to melt in it. But she can't. They don't have time for that. She has to keep this quick, since there's not much time. They only have an hour, after all.] I'm glad... I'm glad you're here, I missed you so much. I don't deserve to be with you like this, but... I selfishly want to stay with you like this. I'm sorry. I'm a horrible person and a horrible girlfriend...

[hairstroke]

[ It hurts but he does remember that they only have an hour to talk and just thinking about it causes his heart to sink. It's not nearly enough time to speak to her. Even when they had free time, sometimes even spending a whole day with her wasn't enough. He couldn't imagine limiting his time with her to only an hour on the weekends.

Everything about this situation is the worst. But what really eats him up is that Mio has to be in isolation like this for so long. ]

Don't say that about yourself, Mio. I'm not going to condone what you did and it's something you are going to have to live with but... [ He bites down his lip for a moment before speaking. ] I don't blame you. It's not your fault that a disease took over and you didn't know what you were doing at the time.

[ Even if they were together, he's scared of letting her go in fear of her suddenly disappearing on him. He does his best to hold in a sniffle as his hand continues stroking her hair, he wanted to continue giving her that warm comfort she needed. ]

Have you been wearing the ring?

7/7

[hairstroke]

[ It's pretty ironic that he's visiting her on this day, given the backstory of Tanbata. In this situation, he feels just like Zhinü and Niulang, since he's only allowed to visit her for a limited period of time. Even though he should feel lucky that at least he's not limited to once a year like the legend, he still hates everything about this. He just wants to be by her side

Dressed in a blue yukata he arrives at the ward with a tiny bamboo tree and colorful tanzaku. If she couldn't celebrate the holiday, then he was determined to bring it to her. Mio means the world to him and he wants to do whatever he can to make her stay at the ward go by much faster, he just wishes that he could be with her as well.

As soon as he sees the love of his life, he makes sure to greet her with the softest smile on his face. Along with his expression, his voice is also soft when he speaks in Japanese. ]

Happy Tanabata, Mio.

[ Alongside the items, he also has a very pretty box of chocolate ]

[promisedyou]

What the hell?

[Those are the literal first that come out of Mio's mouth when she sees him to the point where she's shocked by everything. He's too good to her and it brings her to tears that he'd do all of this just for her.]

Geez, you didn't have to bring me anything, Leon... you really, really didn't. Like, are these even allowed in here?

[IF HE GETS BANNED FROM HERE she's gonna be even more upset]

[hairstroke]

[ The moment he sees her tears spilling out, he immediately gets up to cup her cheek, wiping away the tears with his thumb.

Truthfully... he has no idea if bringing this was allowed but oh well? He doesn't care what they think. Making his girlfriend happy was much more important than following the rules. ]

I wanted too and truth be told, I don't know and don't care if they aren't allowed. The only thing I care about is bringing Tanabata to you.

[ Screw the rules, he's Leon motherfuking Zhong and he does whatever the hell he wants. ]

[promisedyou]

... Leon. Don't get yourself kicked out of the ward to the point where I won't be able to see you again until I'm out.

[Her tone is extremely flat and her eyes are narrowed as she says those words.]

I get the tanzaku and bamboo, but-- why the chocolate?

[hairstroke]

Don't be ridiculous, there's no way they would ever kick me out. [ He makes sure to put an extra emphasis on the me part of that sentence. ] If they do, then I'll give them hell.

[ Leon stfu, the guard is probably judging you right now. ]

Well, Tanabata- or Qixi as we like to call it in China is more like our version of Valentines day. We give out flowers and chocolates as gifts to our significant others.

7/21

[stressweets]

[ It's taken some time to figure out where Mio is, and Tsukasa's more than a little nervous... mostly because he's sure if either his older brother or his wannabe older brother found out, they would've wanted to come with.

But Mio's fine. Mio's Mio.

After some research, Tsukasa's brought her a book he thinks she might like (a very loved copy of the Kojiki—he knows all the stories anyway, he doesn't need it) with one of his flower tanzaku inside as a bookmark—a watercolor iris. He bows when he holds them out to her, trying not to focus on how... exhausted she looks. ]

...Hello, Mio. Please accept these gifts. I made sure they'd be okay for you to have.

[promisedyou]

Huh?

[Mio seems rather surprised the moment when she sees Tsukasa, especially when he seems to give her actual honest to goodness gifts; while she is most definitely surprised, she also feels as if she's not deserving of them so in spite of how tired she seems to look, she somehow manages to smile. Even if it looks obviously forced.]

Ahaha, hello. ☆ [Her voice is definitely not as full of life as you'd expect; especially so late in the month.] You really didn't have to bring anything... but thank you. I'll definitely read it in my spare time.

[Which is pretty much most hours of the day.]

[stressweets]

Mm, no, there's no need to thank me. I wanted to bring you something.

[ ...She really doesn't look so well, and she doesn't sound great, and he's sure his own voice—soft, with some level of forced cheer—isn't reassuring. Asking her if she's alright would be stupid, the answer is obvious? But he doesn't know what to do— ]

You look nice with short hair. [ That's- sort of blurted, and Tsukasa pauses before he clears his throat and looks away. Ugh, is that really the first thing he could think to say... ] Um, you looked nicer with longer hair, but I think this one suits you too, even if... It'd look nicer with a different style...? Or... I mean...

[ ... ]

S-Sorry.

[promisedyou]

You still came, though. In spite of the fact that I'm here. So I have to thank you regardless, for doing something that not many people would do.

[She can't help but laugh a little bit, looking a little sheepish herself as he finally says those words, looking rather surprised.]

You know, you're the first one who's said anything about it, really. Nobody's really mentioned it before, but then again...

[There probably wasn't a good way to bring it up, considering what she's done.]

But you think so? What kind of style would be good on me, do you think?

[She's kind of curious. Since it's a good distraction.]

[stressweets]

[ What kind of style... He isn't an expert in hair or anything like that, but he does A Lot of people watching when he works at the shrine, and after a moment he makes a little flicking motion with his hands. ]

Something fluffier... To lighten it up a little. Framing your face would be nice too... Um, but that might get into shorter than you'd want it to be... [ A small head tilt. ] Or maybe a french braid...? I think you'd look really cute like that.

[ But. He likes braids, despite having maybe one friends whose hair is long enough to braid. ]

back-dated to 7/15

[cardcaptured]

[He doesn't know why he's here, to be honest.

It's not like he had forgiven her, or moved past what had happened to Leon, even though it seemed everyone else had (including Leon himself, for whatever strange reason). The past few weeks, with Tanabata and the modest birthday party he had, helped to lift his mood up from the darker place it had been before. So was visiting the source of his stress, to possibly pour salt into barely healed wounds, really a wise idea?

Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, he was here, trying not to pay much mind to the sterile surroundings of the ward and not crush the small bag in his hand. If anything, he was only going to be there for a small amount of time-- just leave what he had to give her, ask his questions, and go. No use hogging up the slot from those who wanted to speak to her more.

He keeps his distance as the guard lets him into the approved visiting area, though the state she's in hurts to see. His eyes pointedly avoid her, his bangs shadowing his face, and it's quiet for a moment as he thinks of what to say.]

... Mio.

[.............okay, could have been better but IT'S A START.]

[promisedyou]

You actually came.

[They're the three words that she can barely manage to say and when she actually does, it's with an obvious tiredness that was already obvious to see with how she actually looks physically. But she's not going to complain about that in front of him.

She doesn't have the right to.]

Whatever you want to say, make it quick. There's not a lot of time, after all.

[cardcaptured]

[No, she doesn't have the right to complain, not when his own well-being had been compromised ever since those events about a month ago. He'd been able to mask it well enough, keeping busy elsewhere and maintaining a normal face for the people around him, but it didn't take away the constant nightmares he had about their confrontation. Dreams that Retrospec didn't intervene, kept Leon dead, leaving him and Li-Na with the weight of breaking the news to his family.

But then, that was nothing in comparison to what Mio had to endure right now. Stuck with her guilt and her actions, all by herself for who knows how long. She had every right to voice her discontent with the situation, how counter-productive it was, and she'd be justified. He probably just didn't want to listen to it, though.

Something in his face tightens at her words, an expression that screams 'Not by choice', and he strides forward, setting the items in his hands upon a nearby table. One is a bag with a modest amount of mint Oreo truffles and jian dui, and the other... is this thing. We can definitely blame Derek for that one.

He doesn't get close to her, and his eyes stay trained on the items on the table, and when he speaks, his voice is terse.]

Don't worry. I don't intend to stay here longer than I have to.

[It's blunt, but to the point. And after a beat--]

Your birthday... it's a few days before mine, isn't it? This is my gift, and also my repayment for what you sent me for my own.

[Not that he confirmed 100% yet that she was the one who sent the fossil kits to him, but she seemed the most likely suspect.]

[promisedyou]

[The moment she sees that expression on his face is the same moment where she finds herself shifting her gaze away from him. She can't even look at the items on the table and just... stares into the distance, at a far off wall. When he mentions her birthday, however...] You didn't have to give me anything even if I did get you something. I don't deserve it. [...] Is that all you came here for, though?

[cardcaptured]

[How odd this must look to whatever guard is keeping an eye on them, two kids attempting to hold a conversation without even looking at one another. But Xiaolang had his reasons, as did Mio, and his gaze remained fixed to the large, fluffy alpaca for lack of other things to look at in the room. Something in his chest tenses as she confirms what he suspected-- he thought she was going to deny it, but knowing for certain that she sent him the gifts made him feel a little more justified in this visit.]

If I didn't bring it, Leon would have come over and brought it to you, anyway. [And god knows he has Opinions about his cousin's frequent visits, but it wasn't the time or place.] This is mostly just stuff from my own birthday, and it'd be bad form not to give you something in return.

That said...

[He's quiet for a moment, choosing how to best word it--]

... please don't send me anything else. And stay out of my dreams too, for that matter.

7/22

[steadycourse]

[Is it strange to visit the girlfriend of someone that you're legitimately afraid of...? Although, that weird dream he had implied that he and Leon are friends, which is confusing to think about. But a promise is a promise and he is honestly concerned about her, even though he is also wary in a lot of ways. The syndrome is said to be gone, but it's not so easy to just forget that she murdered someone.

However, he doesn't want to just ignore her and continue on as if nothing happened either.

Plus... Kaede is worried about her too. That's enough reason for him to do something, even though that might not be the most noble of intentions. Nonetheless, he walks into her room, holding a rather cute stuffed bunny.]

Hello, Mio! [Ishimaru greets her with a small smile.] This is for you!

[promisedyou]

Huh?

[She's caught completely off guard even if she knew that he was going to bring her something, and it's enough to make her blush. Just a little bit, anyway.]

It's really cute, and it's a bunny, too... Are you sure I can have this?

[steadycourse]

Of course, I wouldn't bring it here otherwise!

[That would be pretty mean in his opinion! To bring a stuffed animal and not even give it to her... he wouldn't do that to even his most hated enemy! IT'S FAR TOO CRUEL.

Nonetheless, he holds out the stuffed animal to her.]

I apologize for taking so long to visit you! I have no excuse!

[promisedyou]

You don't have to apologize for that. I mean, they only allow visits on weekends and only for an hour a day. So it's fine.

[She doesn't necessarily blame him. Although she does take the stuffed rabbit and holds it close to her chest, almost affectionately.]

Thank you. I really appreciate it a lot, though. It's kind of embarrassing to get a rabbit, though. Because... [and idly, a finger twirls around a strand of hair nervously] my boyfriend nicknamed me after a rabbit.

[steadycourse]

[When Leon is mentioned, Ishimaru can't stop his body from stilling completely, with sweat beginning to form on his face as he imagines what the son of a crime boss might do to him if he ever found out about this. Maybe he shouldn't have brought-- no, it's fine. Even if Leon ties him by the end of his feet and hangs him off a bridge, he still wouldn't change this!

Because Mio looks at least a little happier now.]

I... I didn't know that.

[He's still somewhat pale in the face, but gotta keep the conversation going...!] Is that why you like rabbits a lot?