It had taken some time (apparently cell phones don't work so well underwater) but Kukai had finally gotten in touch with Ariel, one of the 'dream people' he'd been searching for for a week or two when he wasn't obssessively searching for the clowns that had ... cast a spell or whatever over Nagihiko and Nadeshiko. The original contact had been a surprise, though, and he'd asked for a place to meet her. They'd decided on King Penguin Park, near the center.
So, now Kukai was there, waiting, at the right time and probably at the right place, looking around for a girl with a giant dog. It was boring, and the desire to be out looking for those clowns scratched at the back of his mind, but he also knew that this was an important question as well. Dreams were not to be messed around with. So he waited.
It's been some time since Ariel had actually last seen Kukai. Perhaps a little after the whole fiasco at the North pole, and dealing with another girl's dreams. When she did receive the text, and a meeting point and time was settled, her response came in the affirmative.
Ariel arrives; with Lucky as expected. The girl being small enough to ride her huge hound, means she sticks out as it is by... Riding on his back; as she does almost everywhere. Side-saddle today, and looking a little haggard, as she lightly holds onto his neck with one hand; almost staring off into space when he finally comes to a stop.
'Wurf'.
It's both a greeting to Kukai and a subtle nudge to his ward that she has arrived. "Whuh. --Oh. Um, hi." Ariel says, waking up a bit more.
Kukai had expected the big dog. What he hadn't expected was for Ariel to be riding him. She looked haggard, too - not as exhausted as he had been the past week, but some unexpected sleep earlier today in Sakura's hospital room had helped with that, enough to where he felt capable of talking to her. So he looks maybe as tired as she is.
Kukai stands up, Daichi riding on his shoulder and making an oooh noise, floating down to investigate the big doggy and maybe even pet his ears! Kukai grins at Ariel and nods his head. "Good morning. You look as tired as I am. So... thank you for coming. Do you want something from one of the stands nearby? My treat, for you and for your dog. I'm not sure how long our discussion will take, so if you're hungry, we can get something."
Ariel rides Lucky everywhere. Such is how it has always been. Such is how it always shall be, as long as she's small enough to do so! But Ariel rubs her eyes. She does seem a bit out of it.
"Mn, sorry it took me so long to get back to you." She says after a beat and a breath of regaining her wits and composure. "I've been dealing with a coupld of things of my own."
Her apology is even accompanied with a little bow, after hopping off Lucky's back. Lucky proceeds to sit himself down and laze. "Ah-- I think I'm fine- though maybe some water for Lucky?" That's to Kukai's offer. "You wanted to talk about dreams?"
Kukai nods and then reaches over, patting her shoulder. "It's ok. I have been too. So far things haven't been too awful, so I think we got together in time. Is there anything I can help with?" He nods to her, then looks around, walking over to one of the stalls and getting a flat-ish styrofoam bowl, then going over to the water fountain and filling it, setting it down for Lucky. All the while, Daichi is sitting on Lucky's head, scritching behind his ears.
Kukai sits down besides Ariel and nods, then looks at her. "...Yeah. I had a dream a week or so ago that bothered me, and apparently one of the other people in the dream also had the dream as well. And she was talking about it. And she asked me to do something which is technically impossible."
Big ears wiggle and splay, Lucky clearly not minding Daichi on his head, in the least, and appreciative of scritchings. So he gets to laze- and drink water, lapping from the bowl once Kukai sets that out for him.
In the meantime, Ariel settles in, hands folding on her lap while listening. Her brow knots for a moment, lips pursing. "The same dream?" That clearly has her attention, as she fidgets with the hem of her skirt. "Tell me about it?
As for her issues, there is a moment of silence. "It's kind of complicated. Things back home are getting rough, I might need help with it, yes."
Kukai sighs and sits down, nodding. "Yeah. It was... oh man, it was a hell of a dream. Now that I think back on it I remember a lot of things that, while I was in it? I didn't notice at all. And... sure. If I can help you, I will. That's the Virtue way, right?" He smiles, patting her shoulder.
Kukai sighs and thinks. "Well. It's a very long and indepth dream. I was on the soccer field and I was grown up, and I was the star player, and all of my family and friends are in the stands. This girl that I now recognize as Anshi Hayakawa was defending the goal, but I didn't recognize her beforehand. I shoot and I score and I hear a big cheer from the crowd and one scream, and I look over, and it's Anshi's sister, Sachiko."
Kukai pauses and nods. "It's important to know - Anshi's been dead for many months now, maybe a year - she died in Walpurgisnacht. Her sister Sachiko's been in a coma for several months - Lacrima attacked her and went overboard and drained her into a coma."
Kukai sighs and continues. "Anyway, I find myself in the locker room, or the hall to the locker room, and everyone's cheering, and Sachiko's standing there screaming at me. 'This was her last game, she just wanted to win one last game before she left, and now the black men are taking her away and you ruined everything!' And one of my friends says 'she's just pitching a fit' and then everyone but her and me vanish, and she starts screaming, just.. horrible angry invective about how I ruined everything and made it bad for Anshi."
Kukai pauses for a moment. "It's also important for me to say that... I met Anshi, after I died. And her friend Laisa who also passed. There was a point, after D-Point... Anyway. The two of them, I felt, were my guardian angels for some time, when I felt like I was still.. close to that side. These days I feel like they're still watching, but further away. Anyway."
Kukai rubs his chin. "Anyway. Lacrima gives me a call a day or two later, since she's been watching over Sachiko since she hurt her, and Sachi-chan's woken up. I sprint down there with Amu to the hospital and go to her room and we go in, we talk for a second, and she says 'Save Anshi, you ruined her game, that was her last game, save her." He stops for a minute. "And... and after that I couldn't stand to see her anymore. I gotta figure out what's going on and how to help her. How to help Anshi."
Kukai thinks more, then continues. "Oh. And you should know - Sachiko knows about magical people. She thinks she is one, but she's not, and she... I mean she was crazy convinced she was, like diving off the fourth story balcony of her house convinced, and fighting youma and nearly getting eaten. She's... damaged goods, but I wanna try to help her, and take care of her. So.. That's where I'm at right now."
Good and settled, Ariel listens. Though every pat to her shoulder makes her teeter a little. The intent look on her face might be all that's needed to hint that beneath her human guise those loppy, goat-like, ears of hers are perked, even though there's no seeing them. "Mm..."
There's a flinch. It comes when Kukai brings up Lacrima draining Sachiko into a coma, and it makes her fidget. "She might have mentioned that to me." Murmured softly. But that's not the focus of the moment right now. The dream is. Sachiko. She does remember Sachiko. And then Ariel cringes when D-point is raised next.
D-Point was her harsh and brutal introduction to the waking world.
There is a moment of tense agitation on remembering that. "Well um. Of course she knows about magical people. We all kind of invaded her dream that one time." She does point out quietly. "Was that all there was to it? Was there anything else? And who else was having the dream?"
Kukai makes sure he doesn't pat Ariel too hard so she doesn't fall over. That's an important thing. The flinch and fidget was a thing, as Kukai frowns, knowing how sensitive she is. He nods. "She apparently felt horrible about it, so she doesn't bring it up."
He grips her shoulder gently as she shivers, and then ohs, nodding. "Right, I remember that now. That's been a long time ago, hasn't it? And yeah. That was all there was to it. And it was just the two of us, apparently. I don't think there was anything else."
A little breath, and Ariel blows silvery hair out of her eyes. "I'm fine." Murmured when Kukai gets squeezy. The memories are just really bad. "And I know she feels bad about it."
But she goes silent for a few pensive beats. "It was a while back." Ariel confirms. Before furrowing her brow. "I'm not sure. It's not out of the ordinary for people to share dreams but that sounds kind of really... Negative. Especially if it's affecting her that way when awake." A pause. "She. Did wake up from the coma, right?"
Kukai nods, then leans back against the bench where they're sitting, looking at Ariel. "Well... yeah, I guess so. I just... I dunno. I freaked out when she said 'save her'. Maybe I'm overthinking this whole thing? I hope that's just it." He rubs his head. "Oh. Yeah, she's awake. She's in recovery and probably physical therapy now, she's been asleep for months. She's doing a little better all the time."
Kukai pauses, then looks over at Ariel. "I've had a dozen other things going on since then. That being said, you haven't seen a pair of magical clowns flying around and doing magic stuff, have you? They're sort of my current... thing. I gotta find them."
Ariel takes a silent moment to think good and hard. The girl is awake now then. But the next question looks like it just baffles her. "C... clowns...?"
A shake of her head and she scrunches her nose. "Well... Even if someone dies, the way you remember them... They can still show up in a dream. That's pretty normal. But it's not really them. Dreams can't bring the dead back to life. But remembering them in a dream can bring comfort to the living... I don't know, mayber I'm reading the situation wrong? But maybe she needs her memory of Anshi protected? I'd have to see for myself to get a better idea."
That's her take on the matter. But now her brow really does knot. "... Really though? Clowns?"
Odd.
Kukai nods. "Clowns. Well, if not, that's fine. I'll find them eventually."
He sighs and leans back, thinking about the dream and Sachiko and everything. "Well.... if there's anything else you need to do we can look into it. I guess there's not much to be done right now. If anything else comes up I suppose I can call you. Like I said this was a few weeks ago and nothing's come of it since. I..." He rubs his head. "I wouldn't know how to protect a memory beyond just holding onto it. And I don't think something was attacking her, or me. Maybe. I don't know."
Kukai chuckles and stands up. "Yeah, clowns. Anyway. Thank you for talking with me. I appreciate it." He reaches down and scoops up Daichi from where he's dozed off on Lucky's head, and scratches between his ears. "And thank you for bringing her here."