【 DAY THREE 】

[starrystoryteller]

starsand ... day three

A Whispered Rumor

It is the third day since the Fallen Stars arrived/returned to Starsand City. Still spring, still Reblooming, and finally with a bit more information. After confirming that their missing friend, Yuuto, was likely part of the Spacetime Shrine's dragon statue, the Fallen Stars are beginning to piece together the recent mystery. And, as if right on cue, a clue is posted around town.

COME TO MIRRORYUU

WHERE YOU CAN FIND YOURSELF

The mirror maze attraction at Wonderment Amusement Park, which has both caused trouble and given help in past timelines, has apparently been renovated. It is housed in a colourful pink tent and uses a combination of mirrors and lights to replicate walking through a starry night. During the day, it is a mostly peaceful attraction. But as Fallen Stars may recall from past timelines, it used to change into something more sinister at night. Maybe it's time to plan a visit...

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

---

Of course, MirrorYuu isn't the only attraction in the Wonderment Amusement Park. There are rollercoasters, a ferris wheel, and many other rides appealing to all levels of thrill seeking. Food here is strange and experimental, but mostly tastes good (some experiments are best not pursued!) Admission to the park is always free. The unwritten cost is having fun, which gives the spirits who work here some faith to survive off of. The park opens at 8am and closes at midnight exactly, though it is possible to sneak in after hours.

Fallen Stars likely remember that this is the first time that Wonderment Amusement Park has been open during the spring. It was typically a one month affair that happened in July, then vanished on the first day of August. Stranger still, the civilians all talk like the park has been here forever and has never been a temporary event. But surely that's fine! Everyone seems happy about it.

OOC

---

This log is a precursor to the actual MirrorYuu event. As such, Flashback Memories have not been remembered yet. Please don't reference them in your threads yet! The MirrorYuu event will be shaped by how characters decide to approach the investigation.

Please focus on threads during the day for this portion of the log. Thank you!

Navigation        • CODE

Comments

[composalvation]

[A flash of panic lances through Kanade's chest at the sight; it's not really Inaba's anger that makes her afraid, no. She understands; if it had been her and the person she loved in their shoes, no matter how week and feeble Kanade feels on the best of days, she'd stop at nothing to make sure Mafuyu was safe. So the threats... that's fine. She gets it.

But it's the way Inaba's voice warps and her eyes shift that make her take a step forward, reaching out but not touching Inaba yet.]

H-Hey...

[It's not a plea to stop, or to reign in that anger. She's just trying to call out to her to ground her, to shake off that muck seeping into her eyes and voice.]

... They'll definitely get what's coming to them. People like that... they always do.

[Kanade has a soft, kind heart. But even a kind heart has its limits, and the Facility crossed that line long ago.]

[dereban]

Of course they will.

[ The hand with the bracelet curls into a tight fist, hand shaking. The distorted color in Inaba's own eyes don't fade just yet, the conflicted murky feelings in her chest still seeping through.

Then again... when one is as exhausted to the bone as she is, it grows more difficult to reel her emotions in and stay calm. ]

I won't allow them to get away with it. Not if I can help it. I can't forgive them for what they've done.

[composalvation]

[If Inaba isn't looking like she's about to pull away, Kanade will close that small distance. She doesn't fully grip Inaba's wrist - she knows in times like this, feeling any kind of restraint could just make things worse. Instead, she just grips it with the tips of her fingers, solid enough to feel but not enough to feel held back.]

... I understand. I'd feel the same way, if I was in your shoes.

[It's not that she's not angry and worried for Yuuto. It's not that she's not scared. But she knows her feelings for Yuuto are different compared to Inaba's.]

Just... I don't want to seem like I'm saying wait or don't do anything yet. But... you're not alone in this, okay? There are people here who will be at your side to help you get him back safe, not hold you back from reaching him.

[dereban]

"Not alone"...

[ Inaba finds herself scoffing, but she doesn't immediately pull away. There's a heaviness in her voice and the way her shoulders sag. It probably doesn't help that her distorted eyes bore into Kanade's in a way that almost comes off as emotionless, making it difficult to discern a little how she's feeling.

Except for the fact that her exhausted words tell more than she's used to; much more honest than she would be if she was much more awake. ]

The people who want him back are doing so for their own purposes. It isn't for me.

[composalvation]

[Perhaps once, years ago, Kanade might have been unnerved by such eyes. But she knows now, so well, that eyes like that don't necessarily mean a person is empty. Hollowness doesn't mean just an absence of anything, it could be a reflection of something missing, and a raw, echoing pain where that something once was.

... It's not... quite like looking into Mafuyu's eyes, but she understands that there's more to those eyes at first glance.

Her grip on Inaba's wrist tightens, just a little.]

... Maybe some of them do. I don't know everyone here well enough, so I can't deny that. But I know there are plenty of people here who care about Yuuto-san because of who he is, not what he is. I made a pact with him because I wanted to help him, not gain a fragment of his power.

[She hadn't even really stopped to think about that, when she offered to become his Sacred Child. All that mattered was that a friend was in trouble and she had a way to help.]

Some people really miss their friend. And those will be the ones that stand by your side once things start to get complicated.

[dereban]

It is because they miss their friend that they will prioritize him.

[ She says the words as if she were just simply talking about the weather, or even a simple homework assignment. ]

And I don't blame them. I don't need anyone in my corner to begin with; I'll do anything it takes to get him back.

[ Because at the end of the day that's what matters. She's willing to throw herself into the flames if it means that one of the people she loves will return. ]