2369/Headspace

Headspace
Date of Scene:	19 January 2017
Location:	Sakura Territory
Synopsis:	Follow up to Who Witch Where? Naru discusses her discomfort with people in her head with Kyouko.
Cast of Characters:	Naru Osaka, Kyouko Sakura

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Naru Osaka has posed:
It is not the most coherent of requests, when one literally wakes up only enough to mumble a request to change locations for sleeping. Naru declined the suggestion to just stay asleep and get carried to bed, but she isn't so terribly awake as she leans on Kyouko in the elevator down to the apartment.

Inevitably, that much movement and relocation and actually getting ready for bed rather than she crashing on the couch for the purposes of a shared dream, ends up with not the 'just go right back to sleep' that would have been possible upstairs, but rather a sleepy and snuggly Naru ending up draped over Kyouko in the dim of the bedroom.

The relaxation and finally letting her guard down comes with a shudder that has nothing to do with the girl in her arms, and a sleepy mutter of "Blaagh. That was /so/ uncomfortable."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko had been there the whole time, staying awake with the aid of tea and a hearty dose of nerves, her eyes flicking back and forth between the sleeping forms of her girlfriend and her Prince. Her task, of course, had been to protect them from any real-world threats (not that any were likely to arise, but when playing with Witches, who could say for sure?) since she was not very likely to be able to effect the dreamworld from here, but that's where the nexus of her worries were focused.

    A sigh of relief had greeted everyones re-awakening, and Kyouko had perhaps been a bit too hovery over Naru as they made their way back downstairs- though with the girl still half-asleep, perhaps it was less egregious than it otherwise would have been.

    Cut to about 15 minutes later and both are in bed, Kyouko more than happy to have a sleepy Naru draped over her beneath the blankets. But it seems Naru is not quite sleepy enough to sleep yet, and Kyouko's eyes seek out her face in the dim light. "Because of the Witch?" She asks, her tone quiet. Misunderstanding, but reasonably so, given the circumstances.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Mmm. Nmmm mmm." Naru shakes her head at that assumption. "She's easy to deal with." Which is entirely inaccurate in the larger picture, but in terms of conversation in dreams, Hana is the easy one.

"Having people in my head is not my idea of a good time, and having people in my dreams has the same feeling for me." Naru explains quietly. "I'm used to Endy, mostly. More used to him than anyone else, but having Zoi in my head was not pleasant." She sighs. "Not that I don't like Zoisite or anything, I do, but it was worse than I expected. Hard to keep that freak out contained so it didn't colour everything."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko doesn't comment on the 'she's easy to deal with'. She might have thoughts on this, but shoves them aside to be addressed at a later date, focusing on the actual concern that Naru has, for the moment.

    "Oh.. I see." She murmurs, her eyes turning up to stare at the dimly-lit ceiling for a few moments as she considers these words. "I'm.. it's not really something I have any exeperience with. I ain't never had nobody in my head.. unless you count Beryl," A soft shudder of her own, "But that was more.. indirect. I can see why it would make you uncomfortable though. There's.. a lotta stuff in my head I wouldn't be eager to share with anybody." A glance at Naru that says 'even you', although in the gentlest possible terms.

    "..thank you, then, for letting them go. Endy just wants to make sure you're safe. And so do I."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I have a pretty extensive resume on all the ways people have gotten into my head to mess with me." Naru sighs softly. "From direct mind control, to curses, to just flat out removing bits. When the nightmares were at their worst, I wasn't in a place to protest that veritable /army/ that went tromping through my nightmares." She gives her head a little shake.

"It's fine. It's better in my head than in Endy's too." Naru leans a little more into Kyouko. "I know, and he wanted to talk to her himself. It just felt.. weird."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "Yeah.. I guess. Well, it's not really very pleasant of me to say I 'didn't care as much' back then, but in a way it's true. I guess it might be better to say I wasn't as.. invested in your wellbein' at the time, so I sorta forget sometimes how rough you had it with that kinda stuff." Kyouko muses quietly, her hand idly stroking Naru's back as the girl leans into her.

    "And given that, I can understand why it's.. not somethin' you're keen to repeat. Frankly, I'm rather fond of your mind the way it is.. so I'm all for not lettin' anything mess with it anymore. But I do think this was important. The more we all know about this.. Hana chick, the easier it'll be to deal with problems when they arise." When, not if.

    "What did they talk about?" Curiosity shining through at last, as the only member of this 'expedition' not privy to the actual exchange.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"The crises of Usagi's weirdo friend was not high on your priority list, which was very reasonable at the time." Naru nudges gently. "At the time, it seemed just.. part of my world, and it doesn't really compare to say.. Beryl." She points out with a soft kiss to Kyouko's cheek. "I'm not generally in a rush to let things in my head, but its a common refrain and I can cope. I don't have to like it, but I can cope."

Naru mmms softly, relaxing into the touch to her back. "The justices and injustices of the world, and forgiveness and changing the world." The way Naru hits upon the cole's notes, it sounds almost as if she's listing off the bullet points of a standard board meeting.

'Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "I dunno," Kyouko replies, tone thoughtful. "I mean.. it's not the same, but I think it's comparable. Just because one was.." An uncomfortable shift, "A little more extreme doesn't mean the concept isn't the same. Somebody, or something, gets in your head and.. changes who you are." A soft exhalation. "I didn't enjoy that, which I'm pretty sure is obvious. It at least.. gives some perspective. But I'm glad you can cope."

    The summary of the conversation has her rolling her eyes just a little. "Sounds thrilling. I'm sure it's one of the things about me you like least, Naru, but I'm the sort who prefers doin somethin' about injustices and changing the world rather than just sittin' around talkin' about it." A faint shift in the bed. "Not.. that I'm doin' much in that arena at the moment, so I guess I can't act too high and mighty, but.."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Considering half the conversation is a grief seed, talking about changing the world is pretty active for someone who isn't currently corporeal." Naru points out with a faint degree of amusement. "The rest of us haven't got nearly as good an excuse for being slackers about changing the world. But there's room for those of us who talk and think and dream too, not just you active ones. It's going to sound awful, but I enjoy my conversations with Hana, and am a little sad that I was really only an observer tonight. I know they won't happen much if at all, and certainly not the same, when she's corporeal again."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "I didn't say there wasn't." Kyouko is quick to point out, on the topic of there being room for all sorts. "I don't look down on the thinkers.. I just know I ain't one of 'em. Or rather, it's not what I do best."

    Silence for a few moments, as Naru relates the fact that she enjoys her conversations with the Witch. She mulls this over, clearly, uncertain what to make of it or perhaps simply unsure how to express her feelings on it.

    What she finally comes out with is perhaps a bit of a left turn, though at least the markings on the road are easy to see. "Would you.. I mean.. does the fact that I don't.. think like that, that you can't have those conversations with me.. do you dislike that? Is it disappointing?" Her tone isn't fishing for pity or reassurance. It's more analytical, curious. She wants to know how her weaknesses appear to Naru.

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru shakes her head at Kyouko's question, silent to start, but her quiet words aren't so far behind. "No. I don't find it disappointing, or dislike it. I think we /do/ have those conversations, they're just framed differently. We do talk about the nature of reality, and forgiveness and changing the world. It's less pretentiously stated, but it's no less present in our conversations."

There's just a little bit of a squirm, a rearranging to find a freshly comfortable spot all tangled up together. "Given the choice, I'd also rather whispered conversations with you in the dark anyday over conversations with anyone."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko considers this reply for a few moments. "I guess. I mean.. I dunno, maybe they're framed differently enough that I don't even recognize 'em, but I guess the impportant thing is that you're getting the intellectual stimulation you're lookin' for." There's a hint of a mischevious grin at that statement, as if perhaps 'intellectual' stimulation isn't the sort one would necessarily consider Kyouko being able to provide.

    She re-settles as Naru does.. feeling more awake, rather than less, as time goes on, as is the unfortunate side-effect of having an interesting conversation, even in the dark. "Mmph. Well, that's flatterin' but we'll see how long it lasts. Hard as it is to believe, we've only been dating for like a month. Less." She does grin, now. "Might be in another couple you'll be begging people for intelligent conversation."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Naru wriggles just enough to be able to steal a kiss on the mischievious note of 'intellectual stimulation' that Kyouko is providing and there's a soft giggle before she settles again.

"I find that unlikely, but it /is/ hard to believe it's been less than a month." Naru can't argue there, it feels like so much longer, and looks to watch the two of them together, as if they've been together forever. "We havent even managed to sort out how to survive my fairly insane school schedule yet. I fear I'll end up staying over, and you'll be asleep when I crawl into bed and when I get up again."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kisses stolen, or given- not much different in situations like these, but they occur regardless. Kyouko smiles in the aftermath, if only because of Naru's giggle which reassures her that her most important duty of the night, settling Naru's doubts and cheering her up, has been at least some degree successful.

    "It feels a lot longer." Kyouko agrees even with sentiments not spoken aloud, as she considering the upcoming school semester. "Well.. we'll just have to adjust, I guess. You know you're always welcome here when you wanna do schoolwork and stuff, though I also understand perfectly well if you wanna do it somewhere with less distractions." There's Kyouko herself, and then there's also Momo and Dog- perhaps not the most suitable atmosphere for concentrating, at least some of the time.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"You aren't so much of a distraction.." Naru pauses a moment and then amends. "You aren't /always/ so much of a distraction, but it's a welcome one, and so is the idea of at least being nearby even if my nose is in a book. You can remind me to take breaks." She sighs contently. "We'll make it work. Lots of text messages." As if that isn't already the case.

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    Kyouko grins, and she can't help but keep just a hint of self-satisfaction out of it at Naru's admitting that she is a distraction. Why she'd take pride in that when she just cited it as a potential downside is unclear, but also very Kyouko. "Just.. don't want you to run yourself ragged, y'know." A small shrug. "I got enough to deal with between work and Witches and Shitennou stuff and all that. I can't imagine tryin' to add schoolwork on top of it. Though I guess you don't have to work, at least. Good thing about work is, unlike school, there's no homework." Not in her job, anyway.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"If I start making comments about giving up sleep for lack of time, please remind me that's a really dumb idea, alright?" Naru points out with a grin. "I don't hunt witches, and I'm not a Shtennou. I do other research stuff and I spend a lot of time talking to people, but it's not quite the same. I also am still skill building, on two fronts, not just maintaining." She kisses again. "You're a good distraction."

Kyouko Sakura has posed:
    "I will knock you on the head and tuck you in myself, if I have to." Kyouko snorts faintly, if only because that threat is likely to seem more credible coming from her than from many other people. "Yeah. Your plate is a lot fuller than mine, at least right now, no matter how you slice it." A lift of shoulders. "I'll live. All that stuff is important. And I'll be a distraction when you need one."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Different full. I'm full on magical juku." Naru quips as she stretches under the covers. "So much practice. It'll be good in the end, but I want one of those training montages where by the end of the song, they've learned all the new stuff."