yogen | [OPEN] If this day was your last

Entry tags:

[OPEN] If this day was your last

Who: Noah & YOU!
What: July Catch-All
When: Throughout July
Where: Various; see prompts for specific locations
Warnings: Will be posted in specific prompt headers if they come up
Notes: Open prompts are in here, as well as specific closed things! If you want me for something either send a message to this journal, poke me on the game discord, or bonk me at

wolfchan!

FURTHER NOTES: Throughout the month Noah has an extremely obvious cut on his arm that has also torn the sleeve of his jacket. He keeps it bandaged but for the first week of the month it's extremely obviously there. People are free to approach him at any time about the injury and ask him questions, but be warned he will get extremely defensive and aggressive if pushed too much. Could make for some fun CR, idk.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That's what I said.

[No, Noah, that is not at all what you said.

Anyway, Add is saying more words that Noah doesn't quite grasp fully. The dimensional walls of the world are thin, huh? Well, like with most of Add's babbling, Noah gets the gist of it.]

But, yeah, that's where it was. I pressed a button and it went rocketing downwards, and then when the doors opened, that's where I was. ...That place. It definitely wasn't the Elrios that I came from.

Are you sure?

You've been here for awhile now, haven't you...? Perhaps that's the state it's fallen into without you there to stop them, kukukuku...

[... just kidding. probably. but instead of saying that, he just leaves Noah hanging on that thought and strides in the direction of the elevator. he's gotta see this shit himself, you know?]

We'll recreate the experiment... you, I need you to do exactly what you did before. [so Noah has to come, and he expects him to follow]

[Noooo he doesn't WANNA recreate the experiment he was in there with KOMAEDA does he really have to go get Komaeda—

Noah's not doing that.]

O...okay. Come on, then.

[He'll leave out the part about Komaeda as they make their way to the elevator, prepared to be traumatized again. But what's new, really, his mental prep for the day begins with "be ready to be traumatized" and that's usually where he ends up. Anyway, the elevator, where Noah swears he can still feel the presence of Chihiro within and shudders involuntarily as he's putting in the same buttons... he thinks he only hit the one for the lowest floor...

Regardless, as the elevator did last time, they go rocketing to the bottom of... wherever, and Noah again hopes he dies. He's disappointed when he doesn't, and the doors open up as expected.]

[it's fine, add can be their gluten-free komaeda substitute

They rocket downwards, as Noah said they would, and it's at least an enjoyable trip for Add. He likes the almost-weightless feeling... but alas, it has to end eventually and nobody dies. The doors open with a friendly ding.

It's Elrios, but it's not the scene Noah told him to expect. Instead, it's... somewhere in Elrianode. Outside one of the more intact homes near the centre of the city, with the Henir dome stretching up towards the sky along the horizon. The El Tower isn't far from here, standing tall and unbroken. Everything is... exactly the way he remembers it.

Add hums, stepping out into the street.]

Looks fine to me.

[Okay what the fuck now the Gods are just messing with him.]

I promise you, when I stepped out of it the first time, it was... dark and dilapidated. This looks like the Elrianode I remember walking through before I got stuck in school.

[Aaaand Noah has sort of forgotten that they're still trapped in this high school, listen, it's not his fault; it would be hard for anyone to remember they're in hell when they step out into a perfectly normal version of the city they literally just left.

"Just left" Noah thinks, like he hasn't spent the last several months (as far as he can remember) here in this school.]

Maybe we can go find the Masters and ask if they know something about alternate dimensions, I guess...

[Like, Denif specifically, but anyone will do.]

[Noah is welcome to try that (except no, he's actually not welcome to, because he'll realize rather quickly that there's an invisible barrier blocking them off from most of the city, including the El Tower...). Add, meanwhile, has already tuned him out, taking a few cautious steps towards the building they landed in front of.]

... still some kind of interference. Tch, if only Dynamo were here... [he can't tap into his abilities, so he has no choice but to use his other senses.

Or... he could raid "his" own lab for tools. Hmm.

Rather than just walk through the front door, though, he goes over to one of the windows first. He has to stand on the tips of his toes to reach it, and... yeah, no he can't see shit. He keeps struggling at this for awhile anyway before sighing loudly.]

You. Make yourself useful. [he needs a BOOST] And be quiet. There could be... cultists in there.

[or his friends... that he's been avoiding for the last two years....... its fine]

[Noah does indeed try that and bonks his nose on the invisible barrier, anyway...

"Make himself useful", huh, maybe Noah should invest in taller friends? Ten year olds are so bitchy... Noah's not the type to just pick Add up voluntarily so instead he crouches down near the wall so that Add can climb him like a cat~~boy~~ at his discretion.

If there are cultists in there, though, Noah's going to yeet Add through the window and climb the wall to kill them all, he swears. But, look, he was told to be quiet and he's being quiet.]

[yeah... he's just gonna climb up Noah like a stepstool, it's fine, this is normal. Now he can reach the window no problem. He peeks his head over the edge cautiously (just ignore how his giant cat-eared hood is the opposite of discreet).

No sight of anyone so far... and he can't hear any talking from further in. So maybe no one's home? That would be ideal. For all he knows they've already left for the Demon Realm... he breathes out a small sigh before pushing the window open and hauling himself through, doing a stealthy roll on the landing to quiet his steps.

(the door is literally unlocked and he knows it, so there's no point to this at all really... but shut up. he wants to be stealthy.)

he looks around again before turning to the window, waving at Noah to come on in. but yknow, quietly. they're breaking in like cool guys here. don't fuck this up.]

[At least Add doesn't weigh that much? Sheesh... sickle-Clamor is heavier than this kid. That's what happens when you're like eight, though.

As if Noah would fuck up a break-in, though. He's always been quick and silent on his feet, and he rather effortlessly climbs into the room and takes a glance around. Whose house is this anyway? Why are they breaking into a random house? There are no Order members here and to be frank Noah's not sure if they'd live in a nice house like this one (mostly because he hopes they live somewhere horrible and decrepit out of spite) and especially not in the middle of Elrianode of all places. So, no one's home, no Order members are here...

...oh no what if they just rolled into the house of a random innocent family? Oh no—

He makes motions to Add that vaguely mean "lead the way, I'll follow" but are more just Noah flipping his wrist around like go go go before we get caught. Gremlins.]

[yeah, a random innocent family... in Elrianode. the city that's been evacuated and hidden for hundreds of years. the list of people that could be living here right now is quite small, actually. c'mon, Noah, lighten up!!

Add knows his way around this innocent family's house, though, so he tiptoes towards the next room with purpose, pausing only to peer around the corner... nope, still nothing. And the house is still way too quiet. They must be out?? He finally relaxes a little, glancing over his shoulder at Noah while he steps into the room.]

Looks like it's clear. You watch for [and then he bumps directly into a passing Ciel, scattering a tray of adorable Phoru-shaped cookies onto the floor.

Add, too, ends up on the floor, freezing up in panic while Ciel... completely ignores his existence, silently mouthing something while he frets over his ruined desserts. Lu would be having a fit in the other room if they could hear it, probably. After a minute Rena comes out to give him a hand...

yeah, something isn't right here. The bigger hint is how no one has a face.]

... What the hell is going on?

[Do you see what he means by random innocent family now, Add? Jeez, Noah's right and he knows he's right, and it's totally not because I forget basic lore from this cesspool of a game.

Uh, so, faceless people. That's cool. Noah had tried to point out the shape coming from around the corner but by the time he'd raised a hand to indicate that hey there might be like a person there, it was too late, and now Add's on the floor and there are faceless people talking.]

Uh. We should... leave? Probably?

[If these are cultists, uh, Noah kind of wants to kill them? But they don't look like Henir's Order members to him. They're not all dark and evil-looking in stuff other than the facelessness thing happening here. This is just... a normal house? In normal Elrianode? With cookies? Noah's on the defensive, of course, now looking every which way in case someone comes at them, but also...

...they're ignoring Add. Why are they ignoring Add, who just ran facefirst into the man with the tray? Why are they ignoring Noah, standing there in the middle of the room looking at them? It's like they don't even see—]

...do they even know we're here?

[don't worry i'm sure the next story revamp will include a retcon about people moving back into elrianode several arcs ago just to spite me, anyway,

Ciel is totally ignoring them, and so is Rena. Which kind of stings until Add's brain catches up with the situation and reminds him that he was trying not to be seen, so this can only be a good thing. He pulls his eyes away from the scene, looking over at Noah with a scowl.]

... Illusion, or something like it. You said you saw something else when you came down here... so it's probably just a fabrication. None of this is real.

[Ciel and Rena are supposed to have faces, after all.

(and yet he feels a pang of disappointment, realizing how long it's been since he has seen their faces...)

Add pulls himself back to his feet, grabbing the nearby wall to steady himself. The cookies—real or not—seem like a lost cause, and the demon-elf pair head back towards the kitchen... he looks down the other end of the hall, towards the room where everyone else must be.

None of this is real... so he doesn't have to feel anything in particular. He sighs, slightly irritated, but otherwise calm.]

Well, we don't have to worry about hiding if that's the case. [and then he's going to pick up one of the broken cookies that got left on the floor... when you're an anomalous entity that exists beyond the concept of time, the five second rule can be extended indefinitely and also no one can stop you. not even the time cops. he takes a bite.] ... hmm. Detailed. Constructed based on memories, or... evidence of prior research...?

[he slowly nibbles on the cookie as he thinks, savouring each tiny bite. yes, it... really does taste like the real thing...]

That's good that we don't have to worry about h— are you eating cookies off the floor?

[Hello? What the fuck. You can't just eat illusory phoru cookies off the floor, Add! Won't those people in the kitchen see a floating cookie with bites getting taken out of it?! The cookies are still very much a part of this world!

Also gross! Don't eat food off the floor, who raised you?!

(Says Noah, the kid who wasn't raised, but anyway that's not the point.)]

Anyway, these aren't my memories. I don't know those people. [Noah's pretty sure, anyway. He hasn't gone through a time loop with people like this, he doesn't think? He walks further into the room and pokes his head into the kitchen... The man who had been holding the tray previously has cool hair. That's Noah's astute observation.] I think, anyway. So if these are illusions based on someone's memories...

[...turns to look at Add. And then, because Noah knows by now that Add will go on the defensive,]

I mean, I also had no prior memories of Henir's Order winning and destroying the world, so that doesn't exactly make much sense either.

Based on memories, not necessarily a recreation of memories. At least try to keep up with me here. [and he's not responding to any cookie-based accusations because he's shoving the rest of it in his mouth, can't stop won't stop]

Obviously, [*might be muffled from having half a cookie in his mouth] I wouldn't make the suggestion if I didn't recognize anyone. They're just old acquaintances... hmm, but this looks the same as how I remember it. Different from an unknown outcome like you described... must be some other connecting trait...

[He trails off from that thought, wandering towards the room up ahead... it's the main living area, so that's where everyone would be gathered. He hesitates when he reaches the doorway, but it's brief—this is nothing to get worked up about. It's all fake, so what does it matter?

Everyone is gathered, for the most part. There's a board set up on the table that may or may not be the Ancient Elrian equivalent of Scrabble. Eve must be acting as referee today, because she seems to be attempting to mediate a shouting match between Elsword and Aisha. Ara is rearranging the little tiles in front of her like she's deeply conflicted... Lu's tail keeps flicking around like she's irritated, but that's probably because of the desserts. Chung already has a book out. They can only guess how long this argument has been drawn out already. Raven must be somewhere in the kitchen with Ciel and Rena.

Elesis and Ain are also gone, but... that would make sense. Even without the faces, he can tell whose timeline this must be imitating. Add isn't present, either.

He sighs, taking a step closer to frown at the board.]

... "Misunderestimate"? Seriously, Elsword? Just save a few letters for next turn.

[Haha, misunderestimate.

Noah starts connecting some dots. Add knows these people. He had been familiar with Ain (who obviously isn't here) and had expressed some shock when Noah mentioned the Landars during their first meeting, as if he knew one. And Noah's not saying the purple-haired girl looks a bit like Yuria but she absolutely looks a bit like Yuria.

He has a few suspicions, lets say that, and after a moment of squinting at Add as he parses the board, he thinks to himself... this has to be the El Search Party, doesn't it? They look a bit like a family, however dysfunctional they are right now. Cookies and board games and random shouting matches over if misunderestimate is a word or not, the mediating, the guy reading like he doesn't want to be a part of it...

He could be wrong, of course. Anyone could be wrong here. Maybe they're not those legendary heroes who wandered into the demon realm where Noah also was currently on his way to before he got sucked into school (blegh). Maybe this is just some random group of people hanging out and Add just happens to know them. Noah doesn't say anything about that in particular, and instead takes a step closer to look at the board as well putting his hands in his pockets idly.]

They kind of feel like a family, a little bit. ...are they yours?

[At the same time, he can't miss the opportunity to make a pass at Add.]

[He doesn't answer right away, still processing the illusory scene unfolding around them. It's not like this is the first time he's been made an observer, watching the people he cares about live their lives without him. It's not like this is the first time he's yearned to go back, to join them again, felt regret, second guessing...

Add scoffs, face hidden in the shadows of his hood. This is exactly why he hates revisiting the present.]

Those idiots? As if. I told you, they're just... acquaintances.

[and this friendly, comfortable atmosphere is starting to seriously grate on his nerves. Why the hell should they get to make him feel like this...?

It seems like the arguing pair have almost reached some kind of agreement, and maybe this game might finally be able to continue... until, suddenly, the board is flipped up into the air, scattering letter tiles everywhere. Everyone at the table jumps up in shock, a new argument over who did that now breaking out—

it was add, add did that, he looks very proud of himself as he chuckles like the obnoxious little shit he is]

Edited 2021-07-23 04:13 (UTC)

[Why are you the way that you are, Add?

Noah kind of just feels bad for everyone here now. First the cookies, which were an accident, and now the absolutely not-accidental board-flipping... He wonders if the demon and the elf from earlier are going to come back and wonder what all the screaming is about or if they're going to take their sweet time in the kitchen avoiding all of this. Noah would personally choose the latter, but anyway...

Maybe they should leave? They should leave. Before Add decides to flip the entire table, they should go, and then deal with horrible school rather than being invisible to these people. Like, Noah would stay here and play games with them if they could actually play games, but noooo.]

...Why are you like this? [Noah no, that's not how you ask someone to leave,] We should probably go before an actual fight breaks out...

Why? This was just getting interesting, kekeke. [rather than answer "why are you like this" he's just going to continue proving why he shouldn't be allowed in public unsupervised. Alas, his child-sized arms are too weak to flip the table, but he can pick up a couple O tiles and throw them at Aisha. She is definitely screaming now, hiding behind Elsword the confused human shield.]

A curious illusion, isn't it...? I wonder what the purpose is? Perhaps there's a limit to how much we can interfere before something breaks, kukukukuku... [picking up more tiles to throw at Elsword... Lu and Ara (Eun?) seem to be enjoying this chaos, at least? Eve might be about to just throw a spear in Add's direction if he keeps this shit up tho.

... but while Add's back is turned, another pair enters the room, drawn in by the sounds of chaos. A man with a white Nasod arm, and... a different, older Add? The resemblance is clear even without a face to go by—even their outfits are identical. But Add hasn't noticed yet since he's too busy chucking tiles at Elsword.]

Edited (words) 2021-07-25 10:09 (UTC)

[All this science would be fun and cool and all that if they weren't harassing those legendary heroes Noah was looking for in the first place. Or, well, harassing people in general — that poor girl probably thinks the house is haunted, way to go Add.

He glances up as new people enter the room, and Noah being Noah he immediately slinks behind the wall and hides before remembering for the umpteenth time that no one here can see them. Still, he doesn't come back out from behind it, peering around the corner and sucking in a breath.

Fascinating. Uh, hmm... just a bunch of acquaintances his ass. He called it! He called it, Noah knows everything, etc etc anyway there's really not that much time to gloat because—]

Add, uh— turn around.

[—because Noah thinks they should leave, as he's stated five billion times over. They can just go find the elevator again and walk out of here and it'll be fine! Right? Right. Nothing bad will happen, totally. Nothing bad ever happens where Add is concerned.]

[Add is still cackling away, chucking tiles like he's having a grand old time. Really, isn't this what was missing from such a pleasant, peaceful little game night? Don't these idiots have more important things to do? If he were still here—

ugh, what's Noah going on about now? He pauses in his assault, turning to ask the other boy what all the fuss is about...

oh

Add freezes up again, dropping his handful of Scrabble tiles, and... takes a lot longer to recover, this time. That's him. Which means this can't be his timeline after all... but this doesn't make sense. Too many pieces are adding up, the other-him doesn't look like he's supposed to, not at this point in time. The outfit is suspicious, but the exposed corruption in his shoulder—why in El's name is that on display, around them? Has he completely lost his mind?!

This other-him, this Add, can't possibly be real, not even as an illusion of another reality. There's no way he'd ever be allowed to stay, not when he's like this. It can't be possible.

(with the "ghost" having suddenly stopped, it seems that the other-Add and Aisha are now arguing over whether it really happened or not... or maybe accusing other-Add of being the culprit, since it is something he'd do with his powers. but it seems to be no more serious of a quarrel than her earlier fight with Elsword, and the mood has lightened again. in a moment, Rena and Ciel will return to see what all the fuss was about, a fresh tray of un-dropped cookies in tow...)

He backs away from the table, towards where Noah has hidden himself... but he isn't going any further than that. He can't look away from this. He hates it, it shouldn't matter to him but for some reason he hates it...]

... Wrong, wrong. Why is he... what's the point of this? That's not what would happen, it's not even remotely plausible this way. I've already calculated every possible outcome, he has to be lying, or...

[The exposed corruption on his shoulder is interesting, as is the fact that Add looks... not ten? But Noah really doesn't have much time to parse that. At first, he's rather busy staring at the strange patch of what Noah assumes used to be flesh and is now something entirely different, though he can't name exactly what it is; then his attention turns to how the mood lightens and everyone goes back to being friends, "arguments" forgotten and left behind.]

It's based on memories, isn't it?

[Not that Noah's calling Add out, but he's kind of calling Add out. Still, he'd probably be pretty upset to have an experience like this himself, so he's sympathetic at least. It must be a major out of body experience. But what does Add mean, "not remotely plausible"? That's what bothers Noah the most, more than the reveal that Add is part of this little... er, not-so-little family of heroes they stumbled their way into.]

...maybe you were with all of them like this at one point, and you lost those memories when you got stuck there?

[To Noah, memory loss on a grand scale isn't implausible in the least. Perhaps it is to others, but not to him; that's his go-to for unexplainable things. Then again, Noah's also not a scientist, and he certainly hasn't seen himself in timelines he's hopped through like how Add is now. Briefly, he considers the possibility that maybe Add's theory about this being "based on memories" may not be entirely correct. Noah's gone through enough time loops to where he should know alternate timelines when he sees them, but...

...this one isn't his no matter how he looks at it, so he doesn't voice that thought.]

Are you upset because you miss your friends...?

[How much does he really want to prod at Add right now?]

No, this is impossible. [He raises his voice, not quite yelling yet but definitely a step above the mumbling he'd been doing a moment ago. This, a lost memory? The mere suggestion of it makes his skin crawl, something vague and terrifying twisting in his chest.

It's just a cruel trick. He can't think of it as anything else, or...

or he might be wrong. he can't be wrong.

The other-Add is dragged onto the sofa, forced to participate in this stupid word game with everyone else. Treats are passed around, the board is reset, Ciel slips him an extra cookie like he knows that's enough to placate the grouchy scientist... and the real Add scoffs, a bitter laugh escaping his throat.]

I don't miss my friends. I don't have any friends. All of this... it's just some stupid joke! Why aren't they even reacting?!

[he wants to wipe away this whole disgusting scene, raze it all to the ground... but alas, he's still powerless. he doubts he could even flip the table if he tried.

He has to settle for just seething at everyone, hugging his sides—pulling his coat tightly around him, and perhaps Noah will realize now that he's been hiding that same shoulder that looks distorted and crystallized on this other-him. Noah might need to drag Add away before he starts plotting out how to kill everyone in this room, though.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[OPEN] If this day was your last

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