[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 don't think you've checked the whole library. [Because that would take hours, frankly.] Go back and look some more.

[...Shuji's tone is sharper than it was.]

[strawberrypunch]

[He doesn't twitch.]

Is it okay if I look here?

[thesettingsun]

No. Get out.

[That's considerably colder.]

[strawberrypunch]

[Ah. Well, looks like he really has no option.

Time to start nosing around the office.]

[thesettingsun]

[Well that's funny, Shuji suddenly has a gleaming scythe in his hands. It looks very, very sharp.]

Did I stutter?

[strawberrypunch]

[Much like a cat staring its owner in the eyes while knocking over a glass, Tatsuma continues to move to examine the room.

He is not oblivious, however, waiting for any sound, any sight, any sense that Shuji's about to use that scythe so he can move appropriately.]

[thesettingsun]

[Scythes are not quick weapons even when you have enhanced strength, and the time it takes for Shuji to swing that scythe is time that Tatsuma can use to react.

He probably will want to, given that Shuji is targeting his torso and that blade is very sharp.]

[strawberrypunch]

[He's gone before Shuji even has a chance to swing.

As a matter of fact, there's some additional weight on his scythe now. If he looks back, he'll see Tatsuma crouched on the pole, eyes still searching the room for anything resembling one of those books from the library in the short moment he's got.]

[thesettingsun]

[Shuji's reaction, when he realizes what happened, is to turn his scythe vertical and try to dump Tatsuma on the floor. Maybe it'll work! Maybe Tatsuma is too anime.

Tatsuma will definitely get a glimpse of the bookshelf, though - one book says "Shuji Tsushima" on the binding, while the others are blank.]

[strawberrypunch]

[There you are.

He jumps from the scythe, using that momentum to propel himself towards the bookshelf with every intent to grab the book. If that bookshelf isn't bolted or otherwise fastened to the wall, this is potentially going to cause a bit of a mess, because there's no real way to avoid slamming into the thing in the process.]

[thesettingsun]

[Of course it isn't bolted to the wall. What, you think they planned for people to fight in here? And with how run-down this room is to begin with...

He can grab the book, but he's going to break the bookshelf in the process. Watch out for splinters.]

[strawberrypunch]

[It's fine, once he had the book he closed his eyes and drew his arms over his head, no repeats of the glassing (bottle-ing?) incident from the bar, we've got this.

His arms might be feeling a bit splintery, sure, but he doesn't even waste his attention noticing because he's now going to attempt to book it (ha) out of the room.]

[thesettingsun]

[Shuji is between him and the door, and also attempting to lunge for him with his still very sharp scythe swung at his chest. How do you want to anime your way out of this, Tatsuma?]

[strawberrypunch]

[A low, low sliding tackle is obviously the answer here!!]

[thesettingsun]

[So it is! Dazai has never been the most stable of authors in several ways, and while he isn't knocked over, the tackle imbalances him enough that his attack whiffs and he'll need a second to recover.

A second Tatsuma can take to get the hell out of dodge.]

[strawberrypunch]

[TIME TO BOOK IT OVER TO MISTA.]

[thesettingsun]

[har har book it

Mista's still in the infirmary!]

You got it? Give it here. And some of that ink over there. [He gestures to the cabinet full of ink bottles.]

[strawberrypunch]

[Please take this book and also this ink.]

That's everything, right?

[thesettingsun]

Yeah, that's it.

[Mista takes both and mutters something that sounds like Italian, to the ears of someone who never picked up much of his boyfriend's native language, but is definitely not. The ink disappears, there's a flash of light, and Tatsuma suddenly finds himself somewhere else.]