( SEMI CLOSED ) it's all about ascension i guess

[mermaidcursed]

Who: Nene Yashiro & Others
What: Catch All for July!
When: All of July, save for backdated threads
Where: School Grounds
Warnings: Edited in as required!

a general catch-all for july for nene yashiro! if you're going to put your own starter up, please give me a head's up first. feel free to plot with me on my plotting comment, discord ( partially stars #5888 ) or amity_rose

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CLOSED TO @FUTUREBULLETS, SOME TIME AFTER THE MEETING

[mermaidcursed]

( she doesn't mean to race for him the moment she sees him- she doesn't even know if he's in a state to truly provide what she needs right now, when she knows he's been struggling himself... even if he isn't telling her.

is he trying to protect her?

or is she just unreliable?

regardless of intent, however, nene does. she runs right up to him, all but tackling him in a hug that leaves her clinging to hinata's shirt, tears already welling up. she can't bring herself to say anything just yet. )

[futurebullets]

[His mouth is already parting open around the shape of her name the moment she starts running to him.]

Nene-

[As soon as she has her arms around him, Hinata's hands already lifting to wrap around her, swift and instinctual. The heart, put back together again by Nanami and then once more fallen apart, must make itself beat right again.

The echo of thought he had with Saihara makes pain flutter in his chest, but it's still true. If Yashiro Nene is suffering, he will be the Hinata Hajime she needs.]

...It's okay. [He soothes, shushes, runs a hand along the back of her hair.] It's going to be okay, Nene.

[He says it, even if it turns out to be a lie.

He says it, because Hinata wishes he had someone that would lie to him.]

[mermaidcursed]

( she stills for a moment, before her shoulders shake with silent sobs that may be from the meeting alone, and may be a flood of everything since they woke up here. who knows anymore? but there's a certain heartache that won't leave no matter what. )

I- I don't know what to do-

( she breaks the yorishiro, depowers spirits gone rouge and driven berserk. she can't help anyone else. )

[futurebullets]

[His mind races to think what it could be about, but- considering the timing, there's really only one thing, isn't there?

Unless, he notes with dread, something else happened after even that.]

Why do you need to do something, when you're already doing so much? [For a moment he considers leaning back to look at her, but feels the wetness of his shirt and thinks better of it.] ...Is this about the meeting, or did something else happen?

[mermaidcursed]

( only barely does she nod, but she still doesn't pull away. )

I-I don't- ( she knew hanako-kun has killed. and now, he would. losing ones humanity did that. but he hadn't, not in their time together- to see someone like her, two someones, wind up doing just that- )

Sakasaki-senpai- a-and Izumi- It's too much--

( and for a moment nene stops trying to even get words out, because she can't- she can't, she can't, she can't. it's too much. )

[futurebullets]

Oh, Nene...

[He wishes, so desperately, that he could take this pain from her. He never wanted to Nene to feel anything like what he had to endure during the Killing Game.

But as much as Hinata wants to, he knows he can't protect her from everything in this place. His own powerlessness stings, way down deep, but that isn't something he can waste time on right now.]

I'm sorry... After all of the times I've been in your shoes, I wish I had something better to give you than that. A reassurance that it gets better, or a promise that it won't happen again. But I can't. And I'm so- [He presses his forehead against the top of her hair as his voice shakes-] -so sorry...

[mermaidcursed]

( it's so chilling, the idea that hinata's been in this situation before- that a trusted loved one killed someone, and multiple times. nene can only try and draw him closer, as if it'll protect both of them. it won't. )

It hurts so much, Hajime-nii-- I didn't know you also-

( what does she even call this? it's miserable and painful and if this is a boundary, she hates whatever spirit's behind it, more than anything. )

What do we do...?

CLOSED TO @CARPEVINUM, DIRECTLY AFTER THE MEETING

[mermaidcursed]

( even as everyone finally trickles out of the classroom, the tension doesn't seem to leave- the air still feels thick and heavy and nene's stomach feels heavier. she doesn't mean to s draw attention to herself, not after all of that, and not for something that feels so insignificant.

and yet. )

... Mr. Lucifer...?

me forgetting to respond to this bc head empty no thots

[carpevinum]

[She looks very upset to him. Perhaps the meeting was too much? He can't blame her.]

Nene, is everything alright?

I SAID!!! UR!!! FINE!!!!!

[mermaidcursed]

I-

( her words freeze in her throat and she tries to not let how devastated she is really show. considering she visibly went into a dissociative shock, clutching one of the hakujoudai close and barely responding to anything... she's probably failing, very hard. )

I-It's- ( it feels so selfish. ) I just... remembered it's my birthday, a-and everything- Natsume-

AAAAAAAAA

[carpevinum]

[...oof.

No, he gets it. He gets it, because of some really massive Obey Me spoilers for lategame but just know that he gets it kind of in a way. Like, a little bit.]

Why don't we find somewhere to sit, [he says, quietly,] and we can talk out of earshot of the others. How does that sound?

[Obviously, Lucifer doesn't wait for a yes or a no, but instead guides Nene to his homeroom where they can sit down in peace. He shuts the door behind them, just to give them some peace of mind.]

...it truly is disappointing that it has come to this. I'm only sorry it had to happen on your birthday, if it had to happen at all.

KISSES UR FACE LOTS!!!! SHUSH!!!!

[mermaidcursed]

( nene stammers a bit, but ultimately... she lets herself be led back in. she feels so- so- she shouldn't. anyone would be distraught about something horrible happening specifically on their birthday. but it also feels like everyone's hurting more- like she didn't go into shock and just sit there like her soul left her body- and she's crying because her sweet sixteen sucked.

even though that's hardly a straw on the camel's back. )

... Y-You'll help him, right...? You can save him, if it's still there?

( she looks up at him, pleading- )

[carpevinum]

[This poor girl... Lucifer helpfully directs her into a chair, pressing her shoulders gently to try and get her to sit down, before he pulls up his own nearby.]

It should be a trivial matter for me to rid Natsume of whatever is plaguing him, yes. If something is, of course.

[At any one moment, Lucifer must sound as though he's bragging, clearly. Still, there's sympathy in his tone, as much as he can muster in the moment. Humans are conflict-bound, always have and always will be. His moral complex is sketchy at best, but he can see why she's upset, even if Lucifer himself isn't overly-concerned. Natsume wasn't one of his favoured humans, nor was Izumi, nor were the others lost, so truth be told he's ambivalent to the situation.

Had Natsume come after Nene, though, that might be a different story.]

I swear to you, I'll certainly try my hardest.

CLOSED TO @UNSURELY, 7/2

[mermaidcursed]

( it's been... five days, since everything. and a lot of the time her thoughts are like a buzz, but how could they not be? a few times she lets herself wander, and she winds up halting just before the next step that would place her in front of the door to the nurse's office. she turns away and leaves instead, most of the time.

eventually, though, she goes in with a polite greeting to the nurse, and... she's trying to smile a little for shuichi, at the very least. it might seem a little hollow though. )

Hey... how are you feeling?

[unsurely]

[ He's lying down on the bed when she arrives, a book in his hand -- still have to study and think about homework, even while forced to rest after class every day -- but he looks up at the sound of the door, and then quickly sets the item down. There's a small, guilty expression of recognition as he sits up, pulling himself to a better position to talk. His shoulder still hurts, causing the briefest pause in his moves, but it's fine.

It's been a while since the last day he and Nene had time... ]

I-I'm alright. Sorry, Yashiro-san... did I worry you?

[mermaidcursed]

Why are you apologizing?

( part of her wants to tell him, 'don't say sorry for being hurt, dummy'. or something else that carries that soft familiarity. but... she gets the feeling that until things clear up, it might feel bitter in her mouth.

regardless, she comes a bit further in, pulling a chair over for a seat. )

... You did, yeah. But... ( with everything that was happening? ) It couldn't have been helped, I think.

[unsurely]

[ Why is he apologizing? He doesn't quite know the answer himself, but... he felt like it. There's a part of his mind, maybe from being idle and confined in the nurse's office with nothing to do, that's just all too aware... of how his own actions led to what happened. His choice to reveal the truth in front of everyone, no matter what.

But it's not like he wants to make this about blaming himself. ]

Ah, well... maybe it couldn't have, but...

[ If it bothered her... ]

There were better solutions, I'm sure. I just couldn't think of them at the time...

[mermaidcursed]

Could have, should have, would have. Hindsight only helps the future. The past's already happened, and there's no changing it for most people.

( it looks like that's something they both have to accept after june. )

... You owe Okane-san an apology, if we ever can contact her again. It's not nice to lie to the dead. But... even though I didn't want to, I understand why you did it.

( she's omitted things too, because someone who didn't know her secrets- or someone she didn't want knowing- was around. and maybe that's part of why she's here today. it's why she's not asking for an apology herself, despite what she feels and how long it took for her to approach. )

[unsurely]

[ So she's pieced that together... It's not that surprising, in hindsight -- everything it really takes is a look at the dates it all happened. And Shuichi's been ready for that, in a way. ]

...You're right. I'm sorry. But if I'd told Okane-san who her killer was at that point... ah, to begin with, I had to make certain first. That was still just three days from the meeting... I wasn't sure.

[ The meeting where he'd discovered that final piece -- through those days, he'd still been struggling to believe it himself. But it's not like he's placing the blame on that reason alone... Even if he'd managed to piece the evidence together in a satisfactory manner by then, he still might have chosen no different. ]

Besides... I couldn't know what would happen. She was in an agitated state, and I couldn't predict what she'd do... what you'd do.

[ What is a... spirit (it's still hard to believe)... in that form like Aiko's even capable of? If she'd gotten enraged, would she be able to harm or affect a still living student in school? He's no expert on ghosts... even if he's seen horror movies or read some books, it's not like those necessarily would depict the truth. ]

CLOSED TO @CRYSTALLOMANCY, 7/8

[mermaidcursed]

( ever since the meeting, it's rare, catching her alone. if she's not guiding hajun and helping him, she's simply relying on hanako, keeping him close by while she just tries to distract herself. preparing for the upcoming fundraiser helps too. but right now...

right now she's just enjoying the quiet of the clocktower. the gears may annoy others, but after months of enforced silence past a certain time, the presence of noise is welcome. she only looks away from the courtyard when she hears someone step onto the current floor. for once, her heart doesn't show itself on her sleeve, when she speaks. )

... Sakasaki-senpai...?

[crystallomancy]

( ah.

he hadn't expected her to be here, somehow, despite their talks of maybe making a greenhouse out of the clocktower. the surprise on his face flickers to guilt, then smooths out to his usual, more neutral expression. )

...Yashiro-chan. ( soft, as always. ) What a surPRISE. Enjoying the soliTUDE?

[mermaidcursed]

... It's... ( smothering. everything is smothering. sound, silence, people present and being alone- ) It's alright.

( she saw the shifts in expression- maybe he can see how utterly exhausted she is. and she'd thought she was tired the second month in... )

... I'm sorry. That I didn't say anything when- when you tried to tell the truth.

( granted, she visibly went into shock, but guilt's an ugly, nonsensical thing sometimes. )

[crystallomancy]

( what could she even have said? besides, he'd seen her then - he knows - it's the same feeling as watching stephanie walk out the door and not look back. )

...It's FINE. ( in the grand scheme of things, it's fine. he doesn't resent her for it, just like he doesn't... really resent rika for trying to kill him. he's a little more cautious around people with intent now, but resentment? is reserved for a precious few others.

he could never resent nene, anyway. not her, not stephanie, not ... not rika too much, either. ) It wouldn't have changed anyTHING, Yashiro-chan. People will believe what they want to beLIEVE.

( that's their truth, whether it's the objective truth or not. )

[mermaidcursed]

( powerlessness is a familiar feeling at this point- she relies on hanako to protect her from malevolent spirits and to tell her things, she relies on hajun and hajime emotionally, she relies- relied?- on natsume himself for fleeting moments of joy and normalcy. she can't command the elements, and even if she can till the land, her own gentle nature leaves her unable to harm.

it still feels absolutely sickening.

but she can look at him clearly now, and even if her heart is heavy with too much love for a dead boy and nowhere to put it, too much hurt and fear and hate for this school keeping them trapped.

it's better than a couple days ago. )

... Have you been okay?

( stupid question, she knows, but. humor her. )

[crystallomancy]

( not just a stupid question, but a normal one. a friendly one. the tension in his chest unwinds just a little. )

Better than expecTED, all things consiDERED. ( it isn't like everything's peachy-keen, but it's no worse, no better, than other years he's attended school. whenever it feels like life could end, it soldiers on instead — time waits for no man, after all. natsume takes a small step towards her, then ... his steps drift to join her at the window, a good bit of distance between them.

he stares down at the wisteria tree, thinking. ) ...It's at least given me plenty of time to do other THINGS. I had an exorcism that did nothing — rather, there was nothing there to find — and I went to see the counseLOR, Arata-sensei. I had lunch with Hiro-kun, and I spoke with Kazuki-san regarding use of the plants in the courtYARD, and I apologized to Sato-chan and agreed to help her with something to make it up to HER.

( ...there's a lot in all of those, but. )

Do you remember when we were considering the idea of growing vegetables outSIDE, if Kazuki-san would let US? I asked him about IT, and he said they'd GROW, but he wouldn't advise eating anything grown in the courtYARD. He said ( a glance further off, straight ahead ) the woods would be betTER. He's never seen anyone else in the woods for a long time THOUGH, so unlocking the requirements to cross that boundary might be more difficult than expecTED.

( ... )

I wanted to let you know that I asked about IT. ( he clears his throat, glancing away. ) Even with all the... hustle of last MONTH, and my nonattendance to club as of LATE, I hadn't forgotten about our conversaTION.

( for

for whatever that's worth, he guesses. )