[open dreamdive] no longer human

[thesettingsun]

WHO: You!
WHERE: Shuji's subconscious.
WHEN: August 18.
WHAT: Dreamdiving!
WARNINGS: Depends on how the dive goes, but a likely one is suicide.

[Maybe you weren't even in line of sight of Shuji. Just about everyone has a reason to be out and about on a Saruday afternoon, and nobody wants their day interrupted by the ground falling out from under them. Maybe you don't even instantly recognize that the library entrance you fall into would be part of Shuji's subconscious and not anybody else's.

This is how things ended up for you today, unfortunately. Might as well take a look around and see if you can't spot the man himself.

Locations are in top-levels added as divers enter them.]

Comments

[thesettingsun]

I know you gotta find Shuji, but finding him's gonna be a pain...

[scythegun]

Oh, I already found him! He seems to be doing well, by the way.

[thesettingsun]

[Mista's expression goes cold almost instantly.]

...and he kicked you out of wherever he was?

[scythegun]

No, not at all! He wasn't sure how to leave here, so I decided I'd go ask around.

[thesettingsun]

Yeah, I'll bet Dazai wasn't sure how to leave. It's not like he has any interest in keeping Shuji from waking up.

[scythegun]

[...]

You think it was his past life? I suppose he could have all of Shuji's memories here, couldn't he...

[Hmmmmmmm.]

[thesettingsun]

I know it was. That asshole's probably pretending to be Shuji until somebody calls him out on it.

[scythegun]

Oh dear. I suppose I should have checked for something like that...

[Sigh. He should have known things wouldn't be as straightforward as they appeared...]

Is Shuji around here somewhere as well or is Dazai in control of his body?

[thesettingsun]

He's probably in a book. Because that's a thing he can do.

[And this couldn't be simple.]

[scythegun]

...That's a very unique ability.

[In a book. Okay. There's a whole library out there and he really doesn't want to have to look through every single book, so...]

Do you have any idea what book he might be in?

[thesettingsun]

I'm guessing it's in the room you found Dazai in. Sorry to send you back to deal with that creep.

[scythegun]

Oh, I don't particularly mind having to deal with him.

[Shuji had to deal with Yeager before, after all.]

But if you have any information on him, I'd really appreciate it. I can defend myself if need be, but I'm not sure how good an idea attacking him would be.

[Both because he has no idea what kind of powers Dazai might have and because Jaeger's never actually killed a human before and he would absolutely hesitate. That just sounds like a Bad Time for everyone involved, especially poor goddamn Shuji's heart.]

Do you have any suggestions for how I handle him?

[thesettingsun]

Asshole or not, he's still part of Shu. I don't know what'd happen if you attacked him but it would probably suck.

[Siiiigh. He really wishes he could just punch that guy himself.]

I don't think he can leave that office, so your best bet's probably finding the book without letting him know what you're doing and then getting the hell out of there.

[scythegun]

Don't worry, I have no intention of hurting him if it will harm Shuji.

I know there were some books behind him, so that's most likely where it would be... Hmm.

[He doesn't really like this plan, but it doesn't really look like there are other options...]

Well, I'm certainly not going to leave Shuji trapped in there, so I'll see what I can do! Is there anything else I should know before I go?

[thesettingsun]

He can lie.

[It seems obvious, but Mista has to say it.]

Nothing he says is what Shuji actually feels. If he can't fight you he'll try to get to your head.

[scythegun]

I wouldn't expect anything less. I don't imagine it'll be easy, but I'm up to the challenge.

[It should be fine. He's come a long way from when Shuji helped him deal with Yeager.]

Thank you very much for your help, it's appreciated! I'll make sure to get Shuji safely out of there.

[And with that, he'll head back to the office!]

[thesettingsun]

[Unsurprisingly, it's not any cleaner than it was before.]

Did you find anything?