does the sheep count the sleep

[me_matey]

WHO: May/Satsuki, Kasen, and YOU
WHERE: The dreamscape
WHEN: Various dates
WHAT: Dreamwalking with May/Satsuki and Kasen
WARNINGS: Warnings will be given as needed.

[[ prompts will be for either kasen or may. just specify which one you're responding to in your comment's subject line! ]]

[ kasen i - daily life at the citadel ]

-The sound of cicadas fill the hot summer air outside in the courtyard of the Citadel. And it had to be the Citadel, as the traditional Japanese architecture surrounding whoever walked into this dream could be little else. It was less like a castle or fortress and more just like a sprawling manor, various paths leading here and there. It seemed to stretch on some ways, no doubt to house the many touken danshi that called the Citadel their home. Wandering about, the dreamwalker will find several rooms...

A dojo, the phantom sounds of clashing swords and work-out drills filling its halls... A ritual room, with an alter towards the back, a blank piece of formed steel resting upon it, the sounds of many happy reunions echoing about... Out back the gardens, the laundry poles, a river rich with clean, cool water rushing past...

But then the smell would catch you. Food. Were you hungry before? You were now. And the scent of a boiling pot, and all the ingredients therein, drifted through the sky, leading you towards the kitchen.

And that's where Kasen was, stirring his work and taking a taste of the broth before heading back to the cutting board, and preparing more fresh vegetables for the stew.-

[ kasen ii - 36 Poets - cw: violence ]

-The Citadel had been large, but this place was straight up extravagant. Ornate pillars held up high, painted ceilings as the entire room was surrounded by painted panels. The entire room was a work of art, and one could suppose that made sense considering the lord of this palace was soon to be revealed.

In the center of the chamber was a young man, head bowed as if in apology, while before him were 36 individuals dressed all in white, as if ready to be buried, yet still breathing... For the moment. Behind the row of 36 was the lord of the palace himself, Tadaoki Hosokawa.-

Your frivolousness has cost this clan too much, my son. -Hosokawa spoke, his voice solemn.- You have left me no choice. Your refusal to respect the position of diamyo that you will inherit has given you no respect for the lives of those who depend on your wisdom and strength. And if you will not respect those lives, then they will be ended.

-Tadaoki raised his hand, signaling. That's when Kasen himself finally entered the room, giving a bow to Hosokawa before positioning himself behind the first of the 36 hooded individuals. He gave a moment's pause before the sword was drawn, held at the ready...

And the individual's head was removed in a single slice.-

[ kasen iii - protecting history ]

-This was less of a dreamwalk and more of a dreamrun. It was difficult to tell where one actually was, other than a largely abandoned roadway in some feudal Japanese city, as the sun was setting. Kasen rushes up, panting. He's not looking so hot, and he quickly looks behind him, spitting out some blood before grimacing.-

Such an inelegant situation, caught alone like this... You. -He points at the dream walker.- Consider yourself conscripted into this. The enemy is approaching and they are going to torch this entire city to the ground if we don't stop them. Do you understand?

-He didn't really wait for a response, readying his sword and turning his attention back to the direction he came from.- Here they come!

[ satsuki i - darling you're my angel ]

Welcome aboard!

-This was May, not Satsuki, at least it seemed that way. And it was the Mayship! But it was in the sky... Wait. You're definitely in the sky. This is definitely the Mayship, flying, through the clouds. Take a moment to digest that for a bit, because it becomes pretty apparent that May wasn't... actually talking to you. Her and the rest of the Jellyfish Crew were gathered on the main deck to greet the newest recruit. Turning one's gaze behind them, they'll see...

Her. And she's looking at you, giving a polite bow.-

"Thank you for escorting me this far." -So apparently that's your role. And here comes May, moving past the rest of the crew, a bright smile on your face.-

Dizzy, how about you and your escort come with me on a tour of the ship, huh?

-Looks like you're getting a tour of the Mayship. Try to act like you haven't already done this, if you have. You wouldn't want to upset May. Or Dizzy.-

[ satsuki ii - a fool heart aches ]

-It's the Mayship, again, but a glance out of a porthole shows this is still in Recolle. Or at least a version of it. Light definitely... doesn't work like this in the real world. Shadows are profoundly dark, and the morning light that should be brightly shining through the portholes is only barely cutting through, and in stiff, harsh reds...

Walking through, you start to hear voices echoing through the ship...

"You ain't gotta make a face like that, Sakura. You did do something, but it's probably the greatest thing that's ever happened to me...

I can't say when it began. When you bought me ice cream when I was about ready to let myself drown in the ocean... when we met by chance at the shelter, and I could see how tired your eyes were, and I wanted only to return the favor...

Waking up every morning, hearing your voice, knowing it was a sign I was gonna have a good day, no matter what happened, so long as I still had that voice, that face to see day after day.

Holding you when you cried. Laughing with you when you told a joke. The time I've been with you, even if it's been relatively short, has been the greatest treasure.

... When I felt like it might all go away, that there was a possibility of a world without you to share it with...

... Remember, at your birthday party, you said I'd find the 'right person' someday, and I said I already had?"

That was clearly Satsuki's voice, but not really... the way she spoke. What's more, despite what warmth and joy should have been in words like that, they rang hollow, haunted even, solemnly hanging between the walls like a spectre.

"Thank you, though... for telling me."

Another voice, practically a whisper in the wind, a heavy with sadness and settling into the floor, making it difficult to move through. Physically, the words felt choking, literally heavy, as you made your way through the seemingly infinite stretch of the Mayship's hallway...-

[ satsuki iii - ghosts of our childhood ]

-One more, by some measure, this seems like you're in Recolle. But... The buildings were never that tall. No buildings were that tall, right? In fact, it felt like everything, even things at eye level, stretched upward, almost infinitely, into the sky above. Color seemed to be entirely removed as well, all of the objects blending into a mesh of grey that seemed to strain the eyes if looked at for too long. If one was clever enough, they'd be able to at least parse where in the city they were...

The Church. Unless you're a practicing Catholic, you probably didn't even know its actual name, but you've driven by it countless times, haven't you? But despite how much more monolithic it seemed, that seemed to be where you were. Though there was something... off about all of this. And not just the weird, german expressionist way the aesthetics were all laid out. But before you can think too deeply about it, the sight of an orange blur catches your eye.

A little girl, couldn't be more than ten, dashes out from the church, running away down one of the alleys. As she's the only thing not in grey in this strange world, her orange clothes stand out pretty starkly, so it won't be that difficult to chase after her...-

Comments

satsuki i

[thebeastwithout]

...What?

[Who is this girl and why is she bowing to him?]

Uh.

Yeah. Sure. No... sweat.

[He's pretty sure she's definitely older than he is, but probably he's such an amazing hero that everyone wants him as an escort, anyway. ..........OK, maybe not, but. He won't question dream logic.]

[me_matey]

-The winged girl gave a pleased little giggle before stepping closer to the captain, who gave a small laugh herself.-

This is the Mayship. Since this is gonna be your home for awhile, it's best you get familiar with it. What you're on is known as the "wing deck". All transports come through here. This bird very rarely lands, so everything has to be done midair.

-She gestured to the gear around near the edge of the wing. Out in the distance Gar could see the outer parabola of a water tank, a dolphin swimming close by and looking at the group curiously before swimming away.-

That's Iruka-san! He's our pet. -Apparently the cat in the pirate hat didn't count as a pet?-

[thebeastwithout]

Oh, sure, yeah, dolphins on a ship. Makes total sense.

[Gar responds somewhat automatically, a faintly sarcastic reaction to being overwhelmed by weirdness. He was pretty sure he had been dreaming about an endless bowl of noodles a few seconds ago, but this was probably fine, too.

At least this bizarre dream had someone he knew.]

...And, uh, what kind of... transports do you do?

[And why would you name your ship after yourself???]

[me_matey]

-The whole crew sort of stopped walking in unison, turning to all make pointed looks at Gar. The winged girl is immediately apologetic, waving her hands.-

"I-it's okay! He genuinely doesn't know!"

-One of the women, the one carrying a sword strapped to her side, scoffed.-

"He hasn't heard of the Jellyfish Pirates? Did you seriously find some bumpkin to escort you?"

"U-um..."

-The captain shook her head, letting out a slight sigh.-

Whaddya think we do? Anyways, let's keep going.

[thebeastwithout]

W-What...?

[Gar looks honestly baffled. After a few moments, he glances at the winged girl who seems to be... his closest ally in some way.]

Do they sell jellyfish...?

[Hopefully this is not audible to May. He follows along behind after a few more seconds of glancing around.]

satsuki iii

[thisloveisjustice]

Tatsuo is standing across the street, looking up at the church and wondering why the hell he's dreaming about the place, when he notices the flash of oranage. A very familiar flash of orange. All of a sudden, he's a teenager again, breaking into a run to chase after the orange loving girl.

"May! May, come back!"

[me_matey]

Despite May herself being easy to pick out visually, and not that hard to catch up to speed wise, the architecture of the dreamscape itself seemed determined to make the journey difficult for Tatsuo, shifting in to block him off at most turns.

[thisloveisjustice]

Tatsuo almost skids to a stop as he rounds a corner and finds a chainlink fence blocking his way. But he can still see May running up ahead, so he grabs the fence and climbs over it. Each time the landscape throws an obstacle in his way, he finds a way over or around it. But each obstacle requires time and he keeps getting further and further behind May.

"May! Wait!"

[me_matey]

"Leave me alone!" it was in Japanese. She yelled back at him, turning around only to stick out her tongue.

"I'm not gonna let you take me back, you here me!"

Satsuki - 2

[burndownforwhat]

[ she shouldn't be here. whatever drew her into this world or made her conjure up such a grim scene, the girl knew she shouldn't be here. that was the overwhelming feeling that urged her to keep moving, to press against every wall, every door, every porthole, to see if there was a way out. that's before the voices started up. familiar, distant, distraught. private. she knew she couldn't be imagining them. it wasn't a recollection of anything she had heard prior. these were someone else's thoughts and feelings that caused her entire body to feel heavy. but still she pressed on, seeking an exit. seeking relief. ] Hello...? Is anyone out there? [ a grunt. a sigh. ] Look! I don't want to be here. If you'll just... show me the way out, I'll get out of your hair.

[me_matey]

-No verbal response came, but one of the hatches opened near her, the door popping into the hallway, more of that deep red light asting through it, but only barely illuminating the shadowed hallway.-

[burndownforwhat]

...yeah, that's not creepy at all. Thanks! [ trying to shrug off the chill working its way down her spine, all the girl could do was move on toward the light and hope that there was some sort of answer at the end of the proverbial tunnel. or, at least, if this was going to be a nightmare, to finally confront her with whatever awful creature was lurking out there so it could kill her and she could wake up. as you do. ]

[me_matey]

-The red light was harsh enough to where nothing past the hatch could be made out, but as Jen stepped through, she'd hear the door close behind her, regardless, the hollow metal slam echoing loudly for a brief moment. But as the red light started to fade...

She wasn't on the Mayship at all. It was still black, thick shadows and red lights scattered before her, but enough time focusing would reveal this was... a barcade. Pool tables, game cabinets.

And a couch. That Jen was now seated upon. And resting against her was the warm, gentle weight of Satsuki, wearing a rather tight fitting red cocktail dress. Stockings, high heels, and her eyes fluttering closed as she snuggled closer.-

"Sometimes... I think I already did." -Her whisper seemed distant, as if coming from another source entirely despite her lips moving.-

Kasen II

[smothershadow]

[In a single moment, Amelia knew she wasn't in her own mind anymore. This room was foreign to her, its decorations strange and bright. She didn't know the man bowed there, nor the...captives? arrayed before him, cowled in featureless hoods. His father must have been the one speaking.

The older woman stood beside one of the ornate pillars with her arms folded and brows furrowed slightly.

And then Kasen appeared. He didn't speak to her. He didn't speak to anyone. Just stood behind the first prisoner--

Amelia barely saw the blade flash before the cowled head was bowled away from its body, dark red splattering white fabric. The mere sight was like a jolt to her spine, making her posture tense.

The sight of so much blood was shocking. And...exciting.]

[liberal_arts]

-And so goes the next execution. The same ritual every time. Kasen doesn't flick his blade or clean it after any of the cuts. The blood is left to remain there, a testament to each life he is taking. The son of Hosokawa sits there, still bowed, but shaking, weeping.-

[smothershadow]

[Amelia did nothing to stop the executions. She had no knowledge of these people, and thus no reason to care for them. The weeping of a stranger's son, while it tugged at corners of her heart, had something else to contend with. That unflinchingly cold reasoning meant to divest her of...less civil, messier emotions wasn't working.

Which each death, her human mind became less repulsed. Something scalier, with sharper teeth came to the front of her mind. Her heart rate sped up, and her nostrils flared to better detect the scent of blood that wasn't there.]

[liberal_arts]

-A dozen or so executions in, the young man was openly sobbing, begging Kasen to stop, but Kasen proceeded with the ritual each time, one by one, blood starting to liberally stain the floor below, washing over the young Hosokawa's fingers and knees.-

kasen - dinner date

[dornen_kiste]

<sub>[ He paused outside of Kasen's home, fidgeting with his top for the one hundred and eighth time since he'd left his own apartment. A date. This was his first, real, official date with Kasen. It felt a bit silly, since they had done things somewhat backwards hadn't they? They had already shared a night in the same bed!

But even so - even so his heart hammered with excitement, his hands trembling as they cupped the bottle of wine. He hoped that it paired well with what Kasen had cooked - the person at the store told him it would go well with Italian fare. He smoothed a hand through his unruly mass of hair, sure that his cigarette cut pants were cut nicely, and his warm green shirt was tailored nicely across his chest. He had gone simple, leaving a button open at the top, and rolling the sleeves.

Okay. Deep breaths Yogi. Deep breaths. One, two, and...

Knock, knock, Kasen. Your date has arrived. ]</sub>

[liberal_arts]

-Kasen had begun preperaring the meal rather early, especially knowing how time sensitive many of the elements could be, especially the risotto. It was not quite ready yet when he heard Yogi knocking, but thankfully the bruschetta was, and quickly plating some and setting them on the small table next to the kitchen, as well as adjusting the floral centerpiece and silverware positioning. He briefly thought... this was too much, wasn't it?

Oh well. He quickly took off his apron and headed for the door, answering the door with a warm smile, not realizing his forebangs were still tied up with a ribbon atop his head.-

Good evening, love. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable. Just take off your shoes by the door here.

[dornen_kiste]

_{[ For a beat all Yogi can do is smile and try and calm his fluttering heart when Kasen calls him love. They haven't been going out long - not long at all - but even so he enjoyed the sweet pet name. It made him feel... special. Maybe Kasen would it with others too, but it felt special all the same right now and he rather liked that. It was after the first three seconds that he glanced up and let out a short little laugh. Oh how cute! He stepped in and pecked Kasen's lips in greeting. ]}

You should wear your hair like that more. It's a very cute style on you ~

[liberal_arts]

-Kasen blinked at first, then a small blush warmed his cheek, letting out a nervous chuckle.-

Ah, I was just trying to keep my bangs out of my way while I worked... -Kasen returned the kiss, all the same, reaching up to loose the ribbon as he did so.-

Satsuki III

[matchbreaker]

[ That definitely, definitely does stand out. and in the drab world, Elda Marker (looking and feeling as she has for the last few months when she became more vampy and younger) stretches her legs. She honestly can't tell if it's night or not, but her flesh isn't burning, so it must be close enough to night for her body to count it.

Ah well.

Time to race the orange blur ]

[me_matey]

-The little girl leads her on quite the chase, dashing through alleys, jumping over fences, the urban landscape seeming to shift around her as she ran, not holding onto one shape or form. All that remained the same was how infinitely tall the structures all seemed to be.-

[matchbreaker]

[ ... I mean. ]

At least I'm fit these days, sheesh.

[ Well, she can follow. Reflexes allow her to jump around and up and over the fences. Still, she's impressed and a little concerned that the orange girl can keep this up so long. She ...

You know if she's following her perhaps she should- ]

Excuse me!

[me_matey]

Excuse this! -The girl turned around, shouting in Japanese before pulling her eyelid down and sticking her tongue out at Elda, before running off again.-