382/Dreams and Nightmares

Dreams and Nightmares
Date of Scene:	14 September 2015
Location:	Mitakihara/Pikarigaoka - Penguin Public Library
Synopsis:	Seishi and Shiori meet in the library and discuss the appearance of a new enemy.
Cast of Characters:	Shiori Sato, Seishi Tamashige

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Seishi Tamashige has posed:
'Something important I need to tell you about. I'm kinda grounded, so can you meet me at the library tomorrow after school?'

That was the text that Seishi sent to Shiori the evening before. And sure enough, after school lets out for the afternoon, he'll find her sitting at one of the reading tables in the library, in a spot with a view of the door. With a notebook open in front of her, she could nominally claim to be doing homework - but even at a casual glance she's clearly wrung out and restless, paying more attention to the front entrance than she is to the pages as she waits for Shiori to arrive.

Shiori Sato has posed:
'Sure thing, be there ASAP'

That was the text Seishi would have received in return the previous evening. And sure enough, when school lets out the following day, Shiori's there at the library as promptly as the busses will allow. If she's looking at the front entrance, she'll see him entering, still in his school uniform, and looking around quickly to see if he can spot Seishi. Once he does locate her, he heads in her direction and sits down at the table she's at.

Quietly he asks, "What's up? You look worried." He's become a little more perceptive since having met Akahana properly. She's been teaching him what to look for in people, and how to look for clues to another person's state of mind. Of course, Seishi's worry doesn't need a ninja to pick out...

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
Seishi offers a smile as Shiori joins her at the table, but it's an awkward, forced thing. Up close, she doesn't just look worried; she looks wan and tired, like someone just getting over an illness.

"Ah, yeah," she says, and closes the notebook that she wasn't really studying anyway. "I ran into some trouble with really bad timing. Some of it's my own problem, but there are things that concern you, too, that I thought you should know about."

She pauses for a moment, taking a breath and seeming to collect her thoughts. "I've encountered our enemy," she explains quietly.

Shiori Sato has posed:
Shiori puts his bag donw on the table in front of him and folds his arms over it to listen to what Seishi has to say. 'Her own problem' is something that worries Shiori a little, but he won't ask. She'll tell him if she wants him to know.

But one thing she says DOES concern him. He frowns as she says she's encountered their enemy. "The Dream-Eater?" he asks quietly. "Oh man... that explains why you look strung-out. It must have got you, at least a little."

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
"Not the Eater of Dreams himself," Seishi assures quickly, with a little shake of her head. "The seal hasn't broken completely yet, O-Yasu checked. But something tried to steal a little girl's dreams near the Hikawa Shrine the other day. It had to have been one of the Dream-Eater's servants."

Folding her arms over the notebook where it rests on the tabletop, she hunkers down unhappily in her seat. "It was bad. And really weird. I'm not even sure if I should call it a 'person' or not, but we're going to have to be really careful."

Shiori Sato has posed:
Shiori breathes a sigh of relief when Seishi notes the seal's not completely broken yet. But still, one of its minions out... that's not good. And henods to her mention of being careful. "Sounds like a good plan," he agrees. "Call me if you need me, okay? I know it might sound like you're calling on others to deal with your problems that way, but you can't deal with problems if you die."

Pause. "Again," he quips. He's gaining a bit of Akahana's morbid sense of humor, too. But it's true, joke or not.

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
She can't help but wince a little as the quip hits its mark, the corners of her mouth curling into a wry half-grin, half-grimace. "You're right," Seishi acknowledges with a little dip of her head. "To be honest... as I am now, I'm not sure I could beat him on my own."

Chin nearly on her folded arms, she looks up and across the table to meet Shiori's eyes, her brows drawn anxiously together. "It knew Akashimaru," she says. "The past Akashimaru. Or at least, knew of him. I'm 'only a shadow of that man,' that's what it said."

Shiori Sato has posed:
Shiori looks uncomfortable all of a sudden, as he notes her wince.

"I'm sorry. That was a bit out of line." Even if it WAS true. But he does point out, "Technically we all are. Because... we're just as much NOT them as we ARE them. If we were completely our past selves, we would act like them all the time. It's just awakening inside us temporarily. So technically we're all just 'a shadow of' our past selves. Don't let it worry you too much; he only said it to throw you off."

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
"I wonder," Seishi murmurs.

After a moment's more contemplation, however, she straightens herself up, planting both hands against the edge of the table and making a visible effort to shake off the cloud that's hanging over her. "He called himself 'Nanashi,'" she tells Shiori. "He's human-shaped, but he doesn't move like a person. I don't know how to describe it. If you see something like that, with a blank white mask for a face - that's him."

Information, that's what's important right now, so that they'll both be prepared for the next time. "When I hit him, it almost felt like his body was hollow. He was solid enough when he hit me, though."

Shiori Sato has posed:
Shiori listens to the description of the not-quite person that Seishi met. "I'll have to keep an eye out," he notes. "I'll try not to have to face it alone. Sounds too dangerous to take on alone. But I won't let him hurt someone if I can get out of it."

The mention of being hollow gets a 'hmmmm'. "Did you try attacks that weren't physical-based? Like... lasers or something?" Pause. "...I've just realized I don't actually know what all you can do. We need to fix that at some point."

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
That gets a short, quiet laugh and another nod. "We do. I can't really do anything like lasers or anything, though. All I've really got is the Shinken... my fan. It's magic, but not that kind of magic."

Letting out a breath, she sits back in her chair. "Well, we can go into that more sometime soon. When I'm not grounded. What's important right now is to be on the lookout for Nanashi if he shows up again. I couldn't beat him, but I managed to keep him from taking that girl's dream, so I'm sure he'll try again if he hasn't already."

She falls quiet for a moment, thinking. "He did take some damage, although it was mostly by accident. A piece of bamboo went right through his body, but it didn't seem to slow him down. He just kind of... leaked this sort of dark smoke."

Shiori Sato has posed:
Shiori nods. "I just sot of... pull weapons out of the air," he replies. "Not sure where they come from, or if they're literally made of magic, or what. It's handy, though."

He nods at the mention of not letting Nanashi have that dream. "That's good, anyway," he notes. "In fact, that's the important thing, that we don't let him get a nightmare without a fight."

Though something occurs to him. Bamboo caused damage, but accidentally? "...Maybe natural things cause him damage?" Shiori suggests. "So maybe a wooden sword or something would hurt him. You're in the kendo club, right? Maybe the next time you meet him you can carry your kendo sword, and see if that hurts him?"

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
"It might not even be that complicated," Seishi admits. "Broken bamboo is sharp, a tessen isn't. But normally if you put a big stick through somebody right here," her hand presses to the center of her chest, "he doesn't just get up and pull it out."

When she lowers her hand back to the table, her fingers drum lightly against its surface, tap-tap-tap. "He used some kind of poison or something, too. I was able to keep from being hit with it, but anything it touched seemed to wither. Even the dirt."

Shiori Sato has posed:
"I hope it's that simple," Shiori replies. "I have plenty of sharp pointy things I can throw at him, in that case." He smirks, briefly. "Not that I'm going to count on that, mind you." As for not being able to 'normally' get up from being impaled? He quips lightly, "We're dealing with the enemies of our previous selves, enemies who ate dreams and sought to cover the world in darkness eternal. I think 'normal' left the building a while ago."

He nods, though. "But you do have a point. We can try that, though if that doesn't work, we may need to ask O-Yasu what we can do to beat the thing." Rotting poison? Shiori's eye twitches. "Ew. Right, don't let it touch me if I have to fight it. Gotcha. Very much 'ticket to nopeville' material right there."

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
At this, even in spite of the whole situation, Seishi can't help but smile. "That's true," she allows. "Our lives aren't really like other people's any more, are they?"

After chewing her lower lip for a moment, she speaks again, more hesitantly. "O-Yasu did say, after I told him about what happened... he couldn't be sure, but he thought it might be possible that this 'Nanashi' might be a creature created by magic. If he is, though - for him to be so tough and also intelligent, O-Yasu said that it would take pretty powerful sorcery, he thinks."

Shiori Sato has posed:
Shiori grins when he notes that he's managed to bring a smile to Seishi's face. Good, she's feeling better. Though for how long is anybody's guess. Still, maybe it'll help. Getting beaten by your enemy's henchman is a bad thing for one's confidence. Particularly if you couldn't even damage him when you tried to...

Then Seishi tells him about having spoken to O-Yasu. Sorcery? "So that means someone made him," Shiori figures. "That means we need to figure out where he came from, and who made him. Because I have a feeling that if someone made him, someone can REmake him anytime he gets hurt. Or maybe even destroyed."

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
"It was just a guess that he made," Seishi cautions. "It's not for sure. O-Yasu said that as well - that things have changed since Renge-san's time, and there are powers out there now that he doesn't know about. But it would explain why I had such a hard time hurting him, if he's some kind of a magical construst or something."

She does indeed seem to be feeling better. Still tired, but the anxious restlessness has smoothed out into a sort of clarity that comes from having someone to talk things through with and share the benefit of another perspective. Her expression has grown serious again, however, when she says, "There's one other thing that you should know about, aside from Nanashi."

Shiori Sato has posed:
Shiori nods as Seishi warns him that's just a guess. "A guess is better than nothing," Shiori replies. "I have a skill or two that might help, if that's the case. If I end up fighting him, I'll try that. though I hope it doesn't come to that solo."

The serious expression gets a blink, and so do the words of something else he should know. "Hm? What's up? Find where the seal is?" he asks, leaning forward as if excited to hear.

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
Seishi shakes her head, quick and decisive. "No, it's not about the Eater of Dreams, or anything related to our past lives. Have you ever run into a girl dressed in red, carrying a wand, who'll only give her name as 'the princess'?"

Something in the way she asks it makes it seem as though she thinks she already knows the answer, but is asking to confirm, just to be sure.

Shiori Sato has posed:
Shiori blinks. 'The princess'? "Not... really? Though I think Mamoru has something to do with a princess. That dream we rode in on, I'm pretty sure that's a previous life of his. Sort of like ours. There's a princess or two in that." He shakes his head. "Aside from that, no, I don't think I have."

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
At his answer, Seishi nods as though this were more or less what she was expecting. "I remember," she says, "but this one's definitely a different princess. I can't go into detail, but she's in a complicated situation."

She pauses briefly, bringing up a hand to rub at her temple in a gesture of fatigue. "If you happen to encounter her, just be careful. She's not exactly an enemy... or at least, I don't want to make an enemy of her if we don't have to... but she could be dangerous. If you do meet her, tell her you're a friend of Akashimaru, that might get her to leave you alone."

Shiori Sato has posed:
Shiori blinks when Seishi decides not to go into detail about this 'princess'. But he doesn't press for details. If she doesn't feel comfortable sharing information, there's no reason to push her. 'Not exactly an enemy'. That 'exactly' troubles him. "I won't go out of my way to antagonize her, if that's what you mean," Shiori replies.

Seishi is his friend... and someone not only tried to hurt her, but seems to have tried to make her feel bad about defending herself? He realizes that this 'princess' has possibly contributed to Seishi's current condition. His hands raise to lace fingers together under his chin, and his glasses seem to gain a bit of opacity.

"If she harasses me I won't hold back." His voice is suddenly quiet and low here, as much Akahana's as it is when he changes. "We have enough trouble with the Dream-Eater and its minions. We don't need a third party complicating things. If she attacks me she is an enemy."

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
Seishi nods again, more quickly. It'd be a stretch to say that she seems relieved, but Shiori's reply at the very least doesn't seem to be anything she was hoping not to hear. "Right," she says in hasty agreement, as though to reassure. "If she attacks first or makes trouble for you, I'm not asking you to just take it, or to hold back. I'd just like for things not to come to that, if they don't have to. You know?"

A quiet sigh escapes her, and she offers Shiori a rueful smile. "Sorry I can't be any more clear about it. But I thought you should at least be forewarned, in case you ever run into her."

Shiori Sato has posed:
Shiori nods as well. Once. Slowly. And then he blinks, the strange opacity that seemed to be there in his glasses fading away. His fingers unlace, and he places them on the table again. "Wha...?" He looks embarrassed. "...Happened again, didn't it? Sorry about that. It's getting harder to keep the line between us separated." He's referring to Akahana and himself of course.

Nonetheless, he nods. "Right, yeah. I'm not going to go out of my way to cross her path. And if I /do/ happen to cross her path I'll defend myself if it comes to that, but if retreat's an option I'll go that route instead," he promises.

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
"Yeah." There's a hitch of slightly embarrassed laughter in Seishi's voice, though she tries to suppress it. "I know what you mean. It's so weird. You looked awfully cool for a moment there, though!"

With that said, the hint of cheerful teasing leaves her expression, and Seishi inclines her head to Shiori in gratitude. "Thanks, Sato-kun," she says. "I appreciate it."

Shiori Sato has posed:
Is that a blush? That is totally a blush. "R-really?" he asks. "It feels so weird though. Like I'm driving, but suddenly get pulled away from the wheel before I even realize it. And I'm just sort of sitting there like, 'what just happened'." He sighs a little. "I don't know... maybe I'm just not strong enough to keep her from doing it. Or maybe I'm not strong enough to be her descendant. You know?"

At the thanks, Shiori nods as well, with a reassuring smile. "Not to worry, I'll try to keep things from going too horrendously bad. I'm pretty good at running, even without Akahana behind it. Though it sure helps."

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
Seishi's head tilts slightly at Shiori's words, and she considers him thoughtfully for a moment. "Maybe it's the other way around," she suggests. "Maybe that kind of thing happens because you're someone Akahana can resonate with? Someone who's capable of living up to her."

A beat, and then Seishi lets out a self-deprecating laugh. "I mean, it's not like I know. But at the least, I don't think it's about strength. It's not like I've ever been able to stop Akashimaru when he starts coming through like that."

Shiori Sato has posed:
"...I didn't think about it like that," Shiori admits. "Maybe that happens so easily because we /are/ so similar. Maybe it's less her pushing me out of the way and more... us 'driving' together." He pauses as she notes similar difficulties with Akashimaru. "That could be, then. Maybe it's like... a reminder that, even though we're 'us' now, we /were/ 'them', and that part of them is still alive in us."

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
"Yeah." Seishi nods slowly as Shiori speaks, as what he says makes sense. "Maybe it's something like that. We're not them, but at the same time, there's a part of us that remembers being them. It's not a bad way to think of it."

Then she laughs a little, grinning across the table in commiseration. "Although it's still incredibly weird when that part decides to speak up."

Shiori Sato has posed:
Shiori smiles when Seishi seems to be feeling a little better about the hijacking. and then he laughs at the latter. "Oh man, it so is," he agrees. "Though I dunno... it doesn't really feel weird. Feels pretty natural, in fact. Which is... kinda why it's so weird, I guess." A circular argument, but probably a logical one.

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
"Funny how that works," Seishi agrees with another little nod. "But I guess it's like you said earlier. 'Normal' is a ship that sailed a while back."

The moment after she says this, there's an electronic chime from the pocket of her Verone uniform blazer. Seishi promptly winces and pulls out her cell phone, glancing at the display with a sinking expression. "That time already?"

As she puts the phone away again, she makes an apologetic face. "Sorry, but I've got to get going. Can't risk being late. I told you everything I could think of that might be important, but if anything else happens, I'll message you, okay?"

Shiori Sato has posed:
"That's very true," Shiori returns. "The Normal Maru sailed a long time ago. We both missed that one. I might have been tossed off of it, though," he quips. Referring to his very bland appearance and demeanor, but being very much NOT normal underneath it.

He does nod though, as Seishi mentions needing to leave, and makes to stand as she does. "All right. If you need me, don't hesitate to message me. I'll do what I can to help. And be careful. I'll do the same."

Seishi Tamashige has posed:
She's laughing quietly at the joke as she gets up and collects her things. "Got it," Seishi promises with a nod. "I'll talk to you soon. Hopefully nothing too crazy will happen in the meantime."

Wishful thinking, but hey, it doesn't cost anything to hope.

"Later, Sato-kun!" After pushing her vacated chair in at the table, Seishi gives Shiori a last little wave, then heads out of the library with the purposeful strides of someone on a schedule.

Shiori Sato has posed:
Shiori agrees, "No sense getting too worried yet. We have a lot of things to worry about just with you-know-who." He means the Dream-Eater, but now that they're standing, the conversation can be overheard a little easier, and he doesn't want it to get out. And as Seishi leave, Shiori waves as well. "Take care," he offers. Once she's departed, Shiori heads home himself. He's got some homework do to, and he prefers to do that at home. Weirdly, he doesn't concentrate well for homework at the library.