(太宰治) Dazai Osamu | Bungou Stray Dogs (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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starsand2022-06-07 06:20 am
bluemackerel) wrote in starsand2022-06-07 06:20 am
June ADA Meeting/Open Mingle/Rumor Discussion
June had been an active month for everyone in Starsand. The fake tradition at the Shrine of Love, the three ghost stories, and still no way home. Knowing this, Osamu Dazai decided the only thing to do was to organize a meeting for the Fallen Stars and citizens alike...🗈
[Dazai had set up a gathering at the park with a small podium. This would do until they'd gotten an official meeting hall. Atsushi, Fauna, and Akutagawa had probably all been tasked with putting up flyers earlier advertising the meeting. He approached the podium, clearing his throat.]
Good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen, Fallen Stars and citizens of all shapes, sizes, and gender persuasions. This is the first meeting held by the Armed Detective Agency to discuss recent events and to set up plans for the future ahead. Let's go ahead and go over what we already know, shall we?
[He shuffled his cards at the podium, flicking one aside. Tellingly, if anyone picked it up...it was blank. Showoff.]
First off. The 'protection charm' so-called tradition. This, as some of you may know, is not an official tradition sanctioned by the Kami of Love. We're not certain who started it, but my guess is that it's for nebulous purposes. If you've tried to 'protect' someone, you had better let them know. And if you've been 'protected', prepare for whatever may come. We'll be doing what we can to decipher the intent behind this and the perpetrator.
[Fwip. Another cue card to the side. This one, if picked up, has 'Chuuya Nakahara has a stinky butt' written on it in red crayon with a chibi drawing of Dazai's face winking with his tongue out next to it.]
Now, let's get into the meatier situations. I believe we've had three curious spirits haunting our dear city as of late, and I'd like to go over each. If anyone has any relevant information pertaining to any of them - encounters, confrontations, simply details you've overheard - please do feel free to contribute to the discussion after the overview is finished.
The first of these is Bloody Mary. The Armed Detective Agency - meaning, my team - Atsushi, Fauna, Akutagawa, raise your hands. These three and myself have looked into this incident in particular. We intend to look into all of them, but this one was our first priority. We regret to inform you that she is quite real. Do not attempt this ritual. She will chase down whoever summoned her, and attempt to attack. She left us with the warnings that she 'learned so much' and that she'd be 'stronger next time' before melting into a puddle of blood. I repeat, do NOT summon Bloody Mary. We will not be discussing how to summon her in the interest of less people doing it...but you've been warned.
[Fwip. Another cue card to the side. This one, if picked up, has 'YOU CAN REACH BLOODY MARY BY SPELLING OUT ICUP AND PRAYING IN FRONT OF YOUR TOILET' written on it in blue crayon. Off to the side, it has the word 'spooky! do not attempt!' written on it. And a little drawing of a bedsheet ghost seemingly dripping blood.]
The second is the Footsteps Behind You ghost. Much like Bloody Mary, I've looked into this one on my own. It attempted much the same. An assault, a promise that it had learned, and a declaration that it'd be stronger next time. It, too, melted into blood. Do NOT summon the Footsteps Behind You ghost, either. Once more, no discussion as to how to do so will be taking place for your personal safety.
[Fwip. Another cue card to the side. This one, if picked up, has 'DON'T TELL THEM THE FOOTSTEPS BEHIND THEM IS ACTUALLY A LARGE HAMSTER WITH SELF-ESTEEM ISSUES. THEY CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH.' written on it in green crayon. The giant hamster is drawn on it looking sad.]
The third and final spirit that has been spoken of is regretfully the one I have the least amount of information on. The girl in the reflection. I made an attempt to summon her as well to no success, but the important thing about her is she made no attempt to attack. Unlike the other two spirits, the potential harm of this one is undetected. Still, you should not make an attempt to reach out until further information is given.
[Fwip. Another cue card to the side. This one, if picked up, has 'Potential Reminder: have ADA attempt another summoning. Certain issues may have gotten in my way.' Unlike the other cards, this one was written in pen in fairly elegant handwriting.]
With that, I open the floor to you, meeting participants. If you have any further information, feel free to share with the rest of us and talk amongst yourselves. The purpose of this meeting is to gather information and perhaps get to know your colleagues a bit better.
[And then, suddenly, he brightens.] Of course, after that, if anyone has any way to brighten the mood, we may all need it! So feel free to contribute that, too!
We at the Armed Detective Agency thank you for attending. We'll appreciate your cooperation in the future and know that we are looking into each and every incident with precision and care. Good night, tri-state area~
[And then he just. Drops the rest of the blank cue cards on the podium, folds his arms behind his head, and walks back.
The floor is yours, other participants.]
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[...]
It's not like that! The future that I know is only for the things that will happen at home! And I plan on keeping that future that way!
[ Inaba huffs, but now that he's looking at her properly, he can notice the redness in her eyes, the way her face is pale and how the starts of tears are at the edges of her eyes. ]
All of that crap ended, so it doesn't matter anymore! I don't give a fuck if you're a kami, a witch, or anything else-- just-- just leave me alone. What do you know about me, anyway?!
cw: nausea
But she's crying. Yuuto knows he's stupid. He's selfish, he's awful, and he makes the wrong choices all of the time. But he can't leave her alone, even if Inaba-- the smarter between them,-- says to.]
I know you're crying. [He's blunt. That's about all that he knows right now, since Inaba is throwing him curveballs left and right. It doesn't help that he's feeling ill and having trouble focusing.] And I can't leave you. You're my friend, even if you don't like me... I like you, whoever you are. So I-.
[Yuuto goes back to his original selfish declaration and takes her hand to hold. He's not sure what to do, but he knows that he needs to hold onto her somehow for his own sake. It makes him physically ill and he suddenly feels really dizzy, but it helps with the sickening emotions.]
Sorry. Sorry... I can't stop thinking about you*. [* you dying and being aware of that fact and how awful it is to live with that kind of memory, even if you've become distant from it.
But listen. If he said anymore than that, he might get real sick. He's holding on by a thread here.]
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[ She huffs, but then he actually grabs her hand and he keeps on going -- ]
W-Wait a second, you fucking moron...! How desperate are you even when you're feeling that!?
[ She flicks the mental switch, shutting it off. ]
You can't say something like that when you don't know me well enough.
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Then I'll just get to know you. [And now he sighs. Amazing, he thinks, how holding someone's hand can make you feel so much better! Since clearly that's what cured that awful feeling.
Yuuto gently eases the conversation back to the topic that started this. Now that he isn't feeling AWFUL, he can actually articulate his spaceboy thoughts.]
I don't know much, yeah... But you're the 'Inaba-san' that I want to be friends with. You're kind, and smart about it, and you see things differently from me. I bet your jokes are ones even other 'Inaba-san' don't understand and you have different hobbies, skills, and feelings, but I like those things about you so far. And yeah, I don't know what happened to you, but it made you 'this' Inaba-san.
So I won't deny it. I won't ask you to worry about the past that made 'you' or understand 'me.' But I- um... Please, let me worry about it for you. For a little while longer..? For me... it's my first time hearing that someone I chose to care about has died.
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I'm used to being with a group that understands being in that situation.
[...]
Besides, of course I'm different from all the other iterations of 'me' out there. I'm not human anymore, after all. My soul even shows that, and it's disgusting.
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I said 'smart,' not 'perfect.' [He tries to smile, but Yuuto isn't completely feeling it. At least she sort of understands what he's talking about, even if he can tell they're still on different pages.
Well. He wouldn't be happy if she understood everything about him.
Yuuto gives her hand a tighter squeeze.]
... I can't understand the dying yet. But I can still learn to understand you, if you'll let me.
[He finally releases her hand. He's been selfish to hold onto her for this long anyway. Yuuto does tilt his head to check her face again, worried about the tears. When she mentions her soul, his gaze falls.]
I won't look. But I'm sure your soul isn't disgusting. [...] I'm also... pretty disappointed in what happened to mine.
[Yuuto covers his chest to signal what he's talking about.] But it's okay. It's still me. You're still you, too, Inaba-san. No matter how disgusting you think it is, I'm glad it made you the Inaba-san that I get to talk to. I really, really am.
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[ Her nails dig into her skin. ]
When I want to return to being the way I used to be.
[ ... ]
But if you're going to say something like that, then -- I suppose it's fine.
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[…
He holds out his hand again, this time as if offering to lead her somewhere.]
Don’t scruff me? I won’t actually take you anywhere new.
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[Yuuto takes her hand and tugs her forward as he takes a step back, with the space in front of her rippling at her touch. They haven’t teleported anywhere, but the space is now filled with lights that float about like aimless jellyfish. They’re spirits, but they have brighter colours and cannot control their movements.
As promised, Yuuto has his eyes closed. If Inaba looks down, she’ll see her human form is washed out by light. It’s obnoxiously bright and prismatic here and makes the ‘real world’ look like it’s behind tinted glass. Their bodies too: They’ve both been reduced to their souls, with Yuuto’s appearing as a blackhole.
He doesn’t comment on this.]
This is what those spirits who follow you around see. And they really like you. They’re always filled with happiness when you’re at the library and they love hearing your stories.
So don’t take my word for it, okay? At least until you get back to the way you prefer, please don’t call yourself disgusting? It really hurt everyone here to hear that.
[He loosens his grip, offering to let her return to the previous dimension.]
I don’t mean to scold you for feeling how you do… but I hope seeing that helps you understand. It isn’t just me.
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It's herself.
(SCP-6350 souls are fucking weird, don't ask.)
Not that she's saying that what her spirit looks like is ugly as she has a very high rating of her own physical appearance, but then she learned, back in the Underground, that her soul was definitely much more... odd than she liked. It made her hate herself even more than she already did.
And she does see, but at the same time. ]
I can't help it.
[ Her voice is soft as she says those words, even after having taken in everything. She doesn't say anything about how she saw Yuuto's soul as a black hole, even though she knows that now. ]
I'm not a bright person. I know there's a lot of people... back home, back at The Foundation... that really like me, but this is something that I've never truly gotten over. Even if I can act good, what I am doesn't change. It's why the humans in the previous world thought of us as monsters that needed to be destroyed for a while.
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[Yuuto listens patiently. He still doesn't realize that she's seen what he looks like, so he acts like that it is still a secret. When Inaba releases his hand, Yuuto opens his eyes again to look at her properly. Those thoughts are familiar and, after thinking about it for a second, Yuuto shakes his head.]
I'm sorry for pushing. I'll back off. [It's not fair to try to change her mind when they aren't even friends. It's not like he'd believe her if she said these things to him either.]
You don't have to change your mind. Thank you for at least hearing us out, Inaba-san.