sweetdevil | 16th ♫ | horrible dreams lying to me in the world of the dead

Excuse me...

[ Shirou opens the door to the literature club with a bit of curiosity, but also a bit out of obligation. ]

I was told that someone needed some help over here? If I'm mistaken though, I'll leave you alone.

Oh!

[ Well, as luck would have it, Yuri's the only one in the clubroom right now. She doesn't look particularly busy -- she's reading, with her tea cup set on the table in front of her and she looks a little surprised to see Shirou arrive. ]

Ah, is it about the festival arrangements...? That might be something you'd want to talk to our club president about. She's not here right now though, sorry...

I think so?

[ He's not exactly sure what he was brought in here for, considering that he was just told that someone needed help without any details, so he's looking like a deer in the headlights, blinking a little owlishly. ]

You don't need any help in the meantime, do you? Otherwise I'll just wait until your president comes back.

Oh, no, no! I'm just reading. I think Monika got called away on some business with her class, but she should be back soon.

[ There's a pause as Yuri just looks at him, finger caught in the pages of her book to keep from losing her brain. Then her brain rather pointedly reminds her to offer him some tea, you moron and she's all afluster and standing up out of her seat so fast she almost jars the desk in her haste. ]

I'm so sorry, I'm being so-- please, take a seat! I'll get you something to drink while we wait. You don't mind tea, do you?

Oh, okay.

[ At the very least, Shirou seems to have quite a bit of chill and isn't bothered at all before she suddenly gets flustered and apologizes, catching him completely off guard as his eyes widen and he puts his hands up in the air. ]

N-No, you don't have to apologize, I should be the one apologizing for barging in to begin with.

[ Even if he had business with the club. But... sure, he'll take a seat. ]

I don't mind tea, actually. I brew a lot of it back home. What kind of tea do you have? I'm fine with most things, as long as they're not the ones in tea bags.

[ She's fussing away in a little locker at the back of the room -- or, on second glance, it's a tall, free-standing cabinet with a little shelf inside. There's still some hot tea steeping in the kettle -- the same batch of matcha she'd made for herself so hopefully, that should be fine. ]

Well, we've got some earl gray and some English breakfast tea... but there's a some matcha that's just finished brewing if you'd like some of that? It's all powdered so you don't have to worry about bags.

[ Something is wrong. Someone who's supposed to be here, isn't. Her name was... it was...

...No, this is the correct number of people. As far as Alice is concerned, the current number of members the Literature Club has is as many as it's ever had. Why would there be anyone else?

The others are running a bit late today, so when Yuri arrives, it's just her and the exchange student. ]

Ah, Yuri. Hang on, I brought that book I was talking about.

[ She roots through her bag for a second, before procuring a copy of The Gunslinger. She doesn't know much in the way of Japanese literature, but she has an advantage when it comes to foreign books. ]

[ It's been a bit nervewracking, having a newbie in the club. And a transfer student at that. Yuri'd been fretting about her English not being good enough, or maybe Alice would be loud and rude like she knew Westerners could be. But it turned out to be, for the most part, easy enough. Alice is nice and polite and their tastes overlap just enough that they've been swapping literature from across the ocean almost nonstop. It's been fun and Yuri's smile when Alice pulls out another book is a bit more open and honest than it has been with the other girls. ]

Oh, thank you! I've been looking forward to giving it a try ever since you recommended it. [ she takes the book and, resisting the urge to start paging through it immediately (that'd be rude!) she instead hugs it tight to her chest. ] Did you get a chance to look into the one I mentioned to you the other day? The Makioka Sisters.

[ A small nod. ]

Yes, I borrowed a copy from the library. I've read some of it, but it's pretty long. [ Her Japanese is pretty good, but literature from the 40s is still a bit of an ordeal to get through. ] I can't say I understand it completely, but I feel like 'decline' is the main idea of the story, or something like that.

[ A huge bubble of excitement swells up in her chest and she can feel a whole mess of words on her tongue ready to spill out -- how the sakura petals are perfect symbols of both the transience and decay of the sisters' social status, how Taeko is one of the few brazen and progressive characters of her time whose behaviour still retains its shock value, how the wordplay in the title so delicately weaves together the themes of decay and the potential for new life. But she swallows it all back. Alice's only just started reading and she said herself, she doesn't understand it completely. The last thing she needs is for Yuri to infodump all her own myriad opinions.

So instead, she smiles and forces herself to give a somewhat abbreviated version. ]

Exactly! Decline and stagnation. Everyone keeps longing for the past but they spend so much time looking backwards, it's impossible for them to build a new future.

The family's getting poorer, everyone's health is getting worse, the quality of the suitors is in decline...

[ It's a challenging book, and if she's being honest, not the sort of thing that she'd read on her own time, but she doesn't mind having something to talk to Yuri about. ]

I'm a little worried about how you'll like The Gunslinger, since it's a little hard to get into on its own. It's one of those books that doesn't show its true colors until you come back to it after reading the rest of the series. [ Hopefully the Japanese translation is good. ]

Those are always the most fun to go back to though, don't you think? You get to catch all sorts of things you didn't see on the first read. Like characters saying or doing things that come up later, or realizing "oh, that's what it meant all along!".

Will the others be easy to find, do you think? I've definitely seen the author a few times in bookstores but I can't remember if I've seen these ones in particular... what's the one I should keep an eye out for once I've finished The Gunslinger?

Well, the next one in the series is The Drawing of the Three, so if you want to find out where it goes, that's the book you want. He's written a lot of good books, though, so if you like it, maybe look for some of his short stories.

Ah, that reminds me, though, can I ask you something?

The Drawing of the Three! I'll make sure I write it down before everyone else gets here. Then I won't forget.

[ Maybe getting the sequel before she's even cracked open the first book is a little premature but she trusts Alice's taste! And it never hurts to be prepared. This way, she can go straight onto the second book if she likes the first. ]

Of course, though! Go ahead.

"...　　　　　　　　　　　　, 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　?"

[ ... wh--what's this... weird pressure in the air...? ]

U--um... Alice...? Did you... n--no, what did you just...?

Didn't you hear me? I said, how awful is it to have to breathe the same air as this major piece of shit?

[ Yuri nearly drops her book-- no wait, she actually drops it when it slips through her hands amidst her wild juggle to keep it there. ]

A--Alice?! What's-- I don't--!

[ She stoops down to scoop her book up, wanting an excuse to break away from Alice's sudden terrifyingly intense gaze more than anything. ]

What are you talking about...?!

I already know exactly how much the other two hate me. You're my favorite because you don't know me well enough to hate me yet. My whole life is a fun, exciting gauntlet of imagining all the shit people are talking behind my back. I can never stop imagining it. I can never relax. I can never feel okay about myself.

[ Nobody else says anything. Nobody else even seems to think anything is unusual. ]

[ This is wrong. All wrong, so wrong that Yuri can practically taste it in the air and yet no one seems to notice it. It's enough to make her heart flutter anxiously in her chest with fright. ]

None of us hate you! Did-- did someone tell you we did? I've never heard Natsuki or Monika or-- or anyone say anything like that about you! So why...?

[ This girl stood in front of her... she has Alice's face, Alice's voice, Alice's clothes. So why doesn't she feel like Alice...? ]

Edited (thanks enter key) 2017-11-10 22:38 (UTC)

Hmmm...?

[The girl in Yuri's bed stirs, making an uncertain little sound. What... happened? Where is she?

All she's aware of at first is that she's lying down, with a cool, damp cloth on her forehead. Slowly, it starts to come back to her... she hadn't been feeling well at school, and she and that girl from the literature club had been the only ones in the library that late.

Her eyes slowly start to open, and she takes in the surrounding room while looking for some familiar face. If this is Yuri's room, this is the first time she's ever seen it. It could even be the first time she's been to Yuri's house. They're friends, sure, but it's hard to tell how close Yuri considers them when she's so shy and reserved all the time.]

Mm...

[Her voice is still small and weak, as she tries to push herself up a little in the bed to get a better look around. This is probably a bad idea... she's struggling with even that much. If only she could remember what happened and why she feels so ill and weakened. Whoever brought her here should be able to explain that.]

Oh!

[ Yuri's here. Of course Yuri's here at Natsuru's bedside, watching her sleep, waiting for her to wake up, where else would she be, where else could she be when Natsuru is here and she's been waiting for so long?

So. Here she is. And here Natsuru, finally waking up and Yuri gives her the brightest, sunniest smile imaginable. ]

Please don't sit up yet, okay? You shouldn't strain yourself too much after you've just woken up.

[Seeing the other girl there, Natsuru still looks surprised and confused. A little bit of relief mixes in, though, and she lets herself relax now that she's sure she's not alone in this strange place.]

Yuri...-san?

[Her voice comes out in a faint, breathy whisper. But there's a trace of a smile on her lips too. Even if she's still uncertain and nervous, it's still reassuring to see a familiar face.]

Did you... bring me here?

[The question of what happened and whether here is, in fact, Yuri's bedroom both still burn at the back of her mind. She has only just woken up, though, and her thoughts are still kind of jumbled. She can only focus on one question at a time.]

Of course I did. After you fell asleep... well, I couldn't well just leave you in the library, could I? Anybody could've found you. I brought you here so you could rest up.

[ See? She's fine. She's fine! It's fine. This is fine. ]

How are you feeling?

[... It's fine.]

Um...

[Natsuru shifts, thinking about trying to sit up again, but settles in for now.]

O-... Okay. I think... I might still be a little tired.

[She smiles weakly, trying to reassure Yuri that she's Fine™. She honestly feels pretty faint, though. Like she's sick or something.]

Did... Did I really just fall asleep? I don't remember...

[She doesn't doubt Yuri. But after coming to the library, there's no point she can look back on and think that must be when she dozed off. It's... concerning.]

You conked out really hard! [ after she drugged you ] So maybe that's why. Haven't you ever woken up from a nap and been really surprised that you were even asleep in the first place?

But you were sleeping for so long, I was starting to get a little worried. The library was going to shut and I didn't want us to get in trouble, so I brought us back here.

[ See? Perfectly normal. Totally reasonable. Nothing to be worried about. It's totally fine! ]

You can sleep in a little longer if you're still tired, you know. I don't mind!

Ha... I see.

[Her voice is still a little flat, but the almost-chuckle and soft, knowing smile seem to mean Natsuru accepts Yuri's logic. She doesn't see any reason to doubt her!]

Th-Thank you... Yuri-san.

[She very feebly pushes herself up a little, not actually moving to get up yet but just sitting herself up as best she can. Which isn't much. This is beyond just feeling normally tired, it's like she's still so much weaker now? She might be testing her limits just by pushing herself up like this.]

I, um... I don't want to sleep too long! I should... ngh...

[Why can't she just force herself to get up??? Is it just ~~the drugs~~ exhaustion?]

Why not?

[ jesus CHRIST look at that smile. it's fine! it's definitely still fine! ]

I don't mind you sleeping here at all. In fact, I'd be happy if you slept here for much, much longer. I made sure you didn't wake up when I brought you here and I tucked you in so carefully, don't you appreciate that? So you should sleep as long as you want and I'll stay here and watch over you and make sure nothing disturbs you.

[ She says all this very, very fast without a single pause for breath. ]

[Even Natsuru's starting to look a bit unsettled by all of this. Th-the smile... and how she's talking so fast, Natsuru can't even try to interject. It's Concerning, even as she's having a hard time seeing anything but the cute literature club girl standing (looming?) over her.]

I-... I do... appreciate everything, Yuri-san...

[She can't move much, but her breathing broadcasts her Concern. Shallow, rapid, trembling breaths while her eyes grow a little wider and more uncertain. This is still Yuri, though. She's sure she's not the cause of this. She's just... mistaken, that's all. She doesn't realize how badly Natsuru is affected by... whatever this is.]

I'm really glad you're watching over me! I'm just... not very tired anymore? I'd like to try to move a little bit... if you'll help me...

[Maybe that will help. She just needs Yuri to understand why she's so frightened all of a sudden, and then she's sure she'll help and everything will be fine! It'll... it'll be fine. It's fine!]

( ooc: lmao i rolled murdergame setting: prison )

[ So... they're in prison. Which is absolutely not the first place Mira ever expected to be in, if at all. She'd been unnerved the first couple of days, but as time stretches on, she feels all that much more alone. There are other people here, yes, but... there's something about the whole setup that's just plain uncomfortable. She can barely sleep, let alone eat, and it's pretty obviously getting to her. Maybe she should talk to someone--

...

haha, just kidding. Mira decides that if she can't sleep well, why try at all? ... It's a plan that's becoming increasingly impossible. It's probably fine, though. She just needs to keep herself busy... So, in the couple of hours before the kitchen closes, that's where she is. Cooking, baking...

Wow, there's a lot of cookies here. ]

[ Yuri hasn't been sleeping much. How can she, when she's stuck somewhere like this? She's not sure what, if anything, she's done to deserve being stuck in prison but even that's not the primary cause of her anxiety. There's so many strangers here and no matter how long she waits, she hasn't seen hide nor hair of anyone she's familiar with. It's not that she can't talk to anyone but the tension in the air and the undercurrent of fear everyone's feeling makes approaching anyone out of the blue impossible.

She's on her way to the kitchen to make some tea when the warm smell of baking drifts out and hits her. She's been lonely the entire time she's been here but now, she finds herself missing Natsuki so suddenly and so intensely it pierces her heart like a needle.

Swallowing hard to try and ignore the way her stomach is sinking, she makes her way into the kitchen, fidgeting with a lock of her hair in a transparently nervous tick. ]

Oh, um... excuse me...? I'm not interrupting, am I?

[Takumi wasn't intending to join the lit club at all- sure, he was very well read, but he preferred historical and philosophical texts over novels. Not to mention he was already in the archery club.

Until he hurt his shoulder from over training- he would eventually be able to return, but as a 3rd year... well by the time he did he'd be too far behind, and there'd be no 'next year'. This realization had sent him spiraling down to a dark place... which was when Monika talked him into trying out a new club. He was always reading after all! And he was so desperate to have SOMEWHERE to go after school other then sitting at home and icing his arm.

Befriending the girls was surprisingly easy: he didn't make friends easily, but they were either easy to get along with like Sayori, had similar moods to him like Natsuki, or fitting tastes.

Which was Yuri.

He liked to read with her- and while his poetry wasn't as wordy as hers, it was sharp and used direct punchy wording to lay out metaphors and clever word play that he enjoyed. He even ran into her at the book store, though he had seemingly startled her greatly when he approached her. Still, they had gotten very close. Which in turn lead to him being at her house to help with a club project]

Hmm. Your house is nice.

[Smaller then his own, but his own also was packed with family at all times. This was... quiet. Nice]

[ Oooooookaaaaayyy. Takumi's here, in her house. This is fine! It's just fine! Nothing to worry about, just two friends getting together to make some decorations for the festival and wow suddenly it's really hard to breathe properly.

Maybe she'd be less nervous if they were meeting at Takumi's house. There's something about having him in her home that feels strangely intimate. She doesn't have a lot of friends to invite over, after all. And... it'll mean he's in her room, where she has her collection. She hasn't told any of the club about that yet. Just the thought of it makes her heart squeeze anxiously in her chest. ]

Oh, um...! Thank you! I--it's just me and my mother at home, so we don't really need a lot of space... of course, she's at work today so, um...

[ She trails off, not sure herself of where that was supposed to go. This atmosphere is dreadfully awkward and though she's been doing her best to stop letting those self-effacing thoughts get the better of her, it's hard not to feel like she's doing something wrong already. Get it together, Yuri! ]

W--well...! Did you manage to find all the things I asked you to buy? I'm sorry I had to spring an errand on you at the last second...

[Takumi is used to Yuri's breed of anxiety (or so he thinks) since it's so similar to Sakura's.

(and his own, he DOESN'T realize- even if he went in the other direction when he thought he was putting people off. Instead of curling in he burst out in anger. In attention grabbing. He was too much like Natsuki in this way)

So when it's clear she is unsure he gives her a little space, smiling lightly]

I did. I even triple checked the text. I don't mind it too much- I even picked up some snacks for later.

[KNowing Yuri she likely would have tea on hand, so it was only polite to bring snacks to go with it, as the guest]

Oh, you didn't have to do that!

[ b-but if she insists too hard on that, maybe he'll start to feel unwelcome. so she swallows back another apology, chasing the words back down her throat and gives him her best try at a smile. ]

Thank you for being so thoughtful. So, um-- I--I can make us some tea to have before we'd start, if you like? A--and I was thinking, we could try and brainstorm some ideas while we drink. You're here to help, so I thought it might be nice if some of the decorations had some of your touch as well...

Sounds good. Though... My touch? I'm not very artistic so I don't know if they'd be any good...

[though he had managed poetry before after saying he was only made for reading, not writing. So who knows?]

[ Yuri-chan... is really cute! ♥ ♥

He loves her to bits! Even if she has a collection of knives, isn't it normal for a girl to have an interest in something unique? Some girls like seances and the supernatural, so having a habit of collecting things is totally normal to him. It just makes her more... her. When they read together, he finds himself getting more invested in her than the book. Hopefully, she doesn't find it too insulting when he chats her up instead, but today he's on her doorstep with a bundle of deep violet roses behind his back. ]

Yuri! Are you home? [ He knocks. ]

16th ♫ | horrible dreams lying to me in the world of the dead

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

DDLC Yuri Protag AU

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

kicks my fuckin leggy out

eyes emoji

/wink wonk also ddlc-ish auing here

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject