seven reconnections ➱ open march catch-all;

[dereban]

Who: Himeko Inaba and YOU.
What: Catch-all log for March; includes event prompts.
When: Throughout March.
Where: Various locations as listed.
Warnings: Human experimentation, but of the mental/soul kind. Also memory loss.

---

↳ option one. ( entirety of march second. )

[You honestly think there's a murder happening when it hits six in the morning and you hear a scream on the first floor--it's near the bathrooms, too.

But upon actually checking, that isn't the case.

There's no dead bodies, especially not in Murderless March, but Inaba might as well be a proverbial corpse, because she's going to die of embarrassment.

If someone just takes a peek, they'll immediately understand why.

The normally composed and cold girl named Inaba Himeko is completely stuck in a maid outfit.

Unfortunately for her, too, she doesn't have something to cover it up with, so she's just stuck like this. On a school day. Which also means all of the third years get to see her in this during the entire class period.

Of course this means aggressively trying to avoid people now more than ever, to the point where the moment she sees a transfer student--or anyone else, really, she starts to bolt. But she's pretty easy to catch up to, given that she isn't exactly the athletic sort.]

↳ option two. ( dreamscape #01 / cw: human experimentation mentions & sudden mind + emotion reading )

[The dream that you enter in leads you from the forest into what seems to be a clubroom.

You're alone--but there seems to have been some activity in the room. Warmth.

But then the door opens with a bit of a creak, and there's...

...a mysterious man that appears, the light in their eyes completely gone. They see you, and speak, walking further into the clubroom. They open their mouth, but the voice that comes out is monotone, near emotionless.]

"I see.

I suppose that you, a visitor, are interesting enough to join the bonus round."

[And just as he says that, another set of footsteps enters in.

It's a girl that you probably do recognize. However, she's not wearing the usual Yogen uniform, but instead a very different uniform and her breath stills and her eyes widen in shock, her mouth opening, the words not entirely coming out at first.

Her nails dig into the skin and the shock soon turns to anger in her expression.]

Did you do something to them--

[She steps in quickly, and the man swiftly moves to leave.]

Goddamn it. [Inaba curses, because she knows all too well that she's powerless to stop anything. Of course she is.] Sorry about that.

[She answers, calm. Cool. Collected.

Just as always.]

That was supposed to be my problem. [No emotion.] They didn't spout some weird bullshit at you, did they?

↳ option three. ( dreamscape #02 / cw: memory loss, but for inaba only )

[In this dreamscape, you find yourself in the same clubroom.

However, you find yourself surrounded by five others, Inaba included. Those who are observant will notice that the pendant that she normally wears is absent.

At some point, you're noticed and she turns to you and asks--]

Hey, have you figured out what you want to write for March's gazette yet? It's due at the end of the month, so we have a lot of time, but it's better to get things started earlier rather than later.

↳ option wildcard.

[Want to play something completely different that isn't any of these prompts? Feel free to hit me up at tsundereban or Len#9692 (discord)! I'm down to share a good chunk of Inaba's memories or any of the Heartseed-related stuff that she's normally unwilling to share, so come @ me.

Also as a heads up, the second prompt will deal with characters being able to suddenly hear Inaba's thoughts/feel her emotions randomly and if you want to opt into the reverse, feel free to let me know, I'm down for it. But it's primarily there for people to understand Inaba a little more. This actually describes what the phenomena entails better than I can.

And the third prompt deals with Inaba's muddled up memories and how she's experienced a lot of very specific memory loss that isn't quite amnesia.]

Comments

option one

[taketori]

[ Most of the day, Miyuki's been trying to figure out exactly how to... bring this up, or how to actually ask about this. It's impossible to ignore, seeing Inaba dressed like that. It's kinda cute, in a way. Which, is naturally an opinion he'll be keeping to himself.

Up until he doesn't. Which is basically just before lunch time, when he has to clear his throat. ]

I understand rebelling against the school from time to time, but isn't that taking it a little too far?

[ Yeah. That's. What that is. ]

[dereban]

Do I look like the kind of girl who would willingly wear a maid outfit to fight the system? What purpose would that even serve? I'm not so stupid to think that wearing cosplay will woo people and get them to stop killing each other forever.

[Her voice is oh-so-dry as her eyes narrow at him, hands on her waist judgementally.]

[taketori]

You underestimate how high school boys can be. Plus, I don't know-- it's not an actual school uniform, so it could be part of a protest.

[ ...alright, he'll bite, then. ]

If I'm wrong then... what's the deal with that?

[dereban]

No, I know how high school boys are.

[She has literally been one, been in the head of one.

Not that he knows this.]

But you've seen our group. Maybe it'd work on some weirdass perverts who are somehow into the 'maid' fetish! But I doubt it'd work on everyone. Anyway. I just woke up and I've been stuck in this all day. Trust me, I've tried high or hell water to get this fucking thing off-- [She tugs at one of the sleeves before sighing.] But nothing! This outfit is now officially cursed!

[taketori]

[ Naturally, he doesn't. Being a high school boy though, he can't deny the appeal of the outfit. There's a strong reason why cosplay was banned from the student council room, and this felt pretty damn rare for him to see.

...Okay, maybe he's biased about the cat ears, but this is alright too. ]

W-well... [ To that effect, he can't help but glance away once she tugs on a sleeve. ] Of all of the rotten stuff that goes on here... at least this seems... fairly harmless.

option two

[taketori]

[ He just had to check out the forest. It seemed worth the investigation, just to verify that nothing horrifying needed to be brought to everyone's attention. As such, he barely even noticed that he'd even stepped inside. A... basic looking club room. From where he stood, it was clear to him that someone had been here, but he couldn't parse exactly what this room could even be for. There were stuffed animals, and yet a poster of a professional wrestler on the wall. In addition to all of the books...

He wasn't able to verify much more before he's interrupted, gaze immediately shifting towards the door. Miyuki assessed the man, looking a bit disheveled in a sense but figuring that he may be able to provide some kind of explanation for what's going on.

Before he speaks. "Bonus round...?" ]

What--

[ Before he's able to respond in kind, Inaba storms into the room and he pauses. An unsettling feeling makes its way into his head, leaving him wary of where he is, and what he's even supposed to do. Inaba's clearly upset about this, even as she immediately begins to mask it once the man leaves.

Miyuki tries his hardest to shake off the feeling, matching Inaba's turn in mood. ]

A little. He referred to me as a visitor, and that I'm joining some kind of "bonus round".

[ With no further explanation, he folds his arms. ]

Do you know that man?

[dereban]

... That bastard.

[Hearing the words 'bonus round' come out of Miyuki's mouth immediately warrants a curse from Inaba's own, her eyebrows knitting in frustration. Anger.]

I do. He's -

[And just as she's about to finish her sentence, lie about how that's her homeroom teacher (and on a technicality, it is, given that's the body that they're piloting) something rings out.

A Sentiment--

Inaba's own thoughts and emotions being heard.

[I can't just say, "yeah, that's Heartseed, the fucker that's been messing with me for the last two years" when I've been acting like I've been living a completely normal life this whole goddamn time! I just wanted to be normal!]

There's a slew of feelings put into that single thought: fear, anger, frustration, worry. None of it shows on Inaba's face, but it's loud and clear to see, in a sense.

And it's when that thought passes that Inaba's own dark eyes widen in a sudden realization as she turns on her heel, trying to hide her expression.]

You didn't hear anything, alright?

[She knows.]

Anyway, we should probably find a way out of here.

[taketori]

[ That much would make sense. He certainly could have come across as a teacher, if not for the creepy vibe and how he shuffled away. Just as he went to ask for a follow-up, he hears it.

He feels that.

It's off-putting and invasive, and he can tell. Inaba's mouth didn't move, yet he could swear he heard her clear as day. It barely made sense in context; Heartseed, having been messed with, and more importantly... the frustration that comes with wanting to be normal. ]

In--

[ He pauses, as if he wanted to figure out the right question to ask, but Inaba presents her own. There are multiple theories he has, but right now on his own end, he just feels anxious... and certainly hesitant to tell the truth. And so. ]

N...Nothing, no. I might've hallucinated for a second, but--

[ No, shut up. It's not something she wants to talk about.

If he's been gifted telepathy and she knows about it, then there's no secret to be kept. He could, for the time being, just let that be something they're pretending to keep quiet. As curious as he is, as much as he wants to ask. ]

...right. Let's go back through the door first.

[dereban]

[He definitely heard her.

Inaba is keenly aware of it to an awful extent. It's something that her soul was unfortunately already used to, and she despises the fact that she is.

And she knows as much as she could try and empty out her thoughts to combat the situation, it's not just simply going to go away.]

Yeah. [She chuckles low to herself.] It's kind of strange, really... to see this place again, though.

[Anyway, she decides to lead the way out towards the already open door--

The area doesn't warp. Instead, it just ends up leading into what you'd expect from a clubroom: an actual school hallway.]

Looks like this whole area was recreated, huh. Guess I really am going to have to play the role of guide, aren't I?

2

[waitingforplayer2]

[ In an instant, her uniform shifts to match Inaba's, and she rubs her eyes sleepily. When did she get here?... ]

Mm... they said I was interesting... [ She frowns and looks back in the direction the man went. ] Are they always like that?...

[dereban]

[Honestly, she wonders how much she can get away here. She knows that nothing will come out of chasing Heartseed, so she opts not to. She sighs.]

Not always. Sometimes he's just a slacker, [referring to Gotou] and sometimes he really loves to play the sax. Don't worry too much about it, though, if they said that.

[waitingforplayer2]

Ah... okay. [ She rubs her eyes. Was she going to her club with Inaba? That must be it, right? ]

He mentioned a bonus round... like in a video game, I think?

[dereban]

Don't worry about that, either.

[Her words are instant, insistent, immediate.]

He probably was just messing around -- haha, that Gotou!

[She tries to laugh lightheartedly, even though she's keenly aware that the situation is anything but-

[I thought he wasn't going to get others involved, that asshole!]

And there it is, the angry, frustrated sentiment of a girl who is trying to bubble all of those things down and keep her calm externally.]

1

[antitoxin]

[ today in class, it seems that the boys are wild today— a few whistles in inaba's direction because she's dressed to impress. it only makes things worse when the teacher tells everyone to find one partner to pair up with, because they'll have to help each other with a project until graduation. because it's such a long term presentation, that they should find someone they can get along with to make it happen.

it's the line of guys that walk over to inaba in hopes to get her attention, curious if she'll remain dressed in her outfit for the entire duration. there's drools here, sparkly eyes there as they focus on her.

then there's midori who walks over, not really in line, but with enough enthusiasm. ]

There you are partner, I found us a place to do our project without much noise. Are you ready to go?

[ she can either stay with the lames that are flirting, or come with him who seems to be giving her a way out. ]

[dereban]

[She hates that all the third years are in one combined class now. Honestly, Inaba knows that she won't be able to live this down in the slightest bit and the fact that people are trying to be her partner because of what she's wearing and not because her grades are stupidly high irritates the hell out of her, more than anything.]

...

[And then she's approached by this guy.

She sees what he's doing, but at the same time, she doesn't want to be in debt to someone...

Although dealing with the crowd will be even more of a pain, so--she'll take her out. Regrets will come later.]

I am, in fact. [She speaks up, loud enough for the rest of the class to hear as she gets up from her seat.] Let's go? I'd rather not waste any more time than I already have.

[antitoxin]

I'm glad you could agree, I have a nice amount of topics for you to choose from.

[ with a smile, he tilts his head gently to confirm his own words as he waits for inaba to come along with him. her words are loud enough for the whole room to hear, and there's a couple of disappointed huffs, and some sucking their teeth in annoyance. majority doesn't seem pleased by a random guy coming out from nowhere to get her attention, and being successful. that irritates them even more.

midori decides that the perfect place to be is anywhere but here, and that's guiding the female to the exit of the room until he feels someone's hand touch his shoulder. gripping the area to hold him in place, but it's a slow turn of his head, and green eyes stare right into the other student's own. a small smile, but a look that could kill, a threat that isn't lost in his gaze that's meant to instill fear.

...

the person flinches, stepping back, and bumping into a chair where they almost fall.

with a blink, midori turns his neck back forward, and then he looks down to check on inaba. ]

I was thinking far back in the library, it seems to be the quietest place so far.

[ gentle smile. ]

[dereban]

[Inaba's keen enough to notice the disappointed looks on their face, but is honestly glad for it. Really isn't like her to have so many fans, especially when she's known as the "ice princess" - a nickname that she's loathed for a while.

But it's probably because she's so keenly aware of her surroundings and always watching what's around her that she doesn't miss the sound of the chair clacking, how they stumble.

Subtle, yes, but not something missed.

...

That's something that she can deal with later, if she has to. Nevertheless-]

The library's perfect. Has a lot of resources anyway, so it'd be good for working on such a large project.

[Just going to keep her tone casual for now. No need to show suspicion when she doesn't have to...

But she will ask one thing, however:]

Why did you decide to jump in, anyway?

1!

[silentabyss]

[Noah absolutely books it toward the sound of the scream, skidding to a stop roughly in front of the bathrooms and preparing himself mentally to swing the door open and find a corpse only for all of his danger-sense to melt away instantly.]

—oh.

[No one's dead!]

...you look pretty. But are you okay?

[dereban]

You can't just say that--I'm! Stuck! In this stupid outfit!!

[silentabyss]

...stuck? Like, physically stuck?

[Noah does not make a move to help because that would be rude as hell to just start, you know, tugging at someone's clothes.]

Did you get hexed or something?

[dereban]

Yes, physically stuck--I know how to remove clothes normally, thank you very much. And I don't know, I didn't do shit to get like, cursed or whatever...

two

[rearranger]

[ It's a clubroom, but not one that he recognizes from anywhere, no more than he recognizes the man that's speaking to him. Ranger blinks, and he supposes that he must be infringing on another person's space. Ranger quirks an eyebrow, but otherwise remains silent as he waits to see if any further explanation will be given. It's not, and instead a familiar figure joins them. The former must have only been present to make cryptic statements, or perhaps they simply know the consequences of staying, given their quick departure.

He shakes his head. ]

Nope, just some cryptic comments about a bonus round. I take it they're the type to meddle in other people's affairs?

[ If he had to take a guess, he would assume the man had either been referring to a game or a scientific experiment, though he can't even begin to guess at which one it might be - after all, it's perfectly well and good to drag strangers into both. ]

Re: two

[dereban]

[She can't help but sigh before pinching the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily. A 'bonus round', huh-- she has only the vaguest of hints of what that could even possibly mean.]

Yep, that's Gotou for you. Don't take him too seriously, though.

[rearranger]

[ Goutou, huh. He files that name away for future use. ]

I'll try not to. [ There's a slight arch of an eyebrow as he considers those worsd again. ] Any idea what he was talking about? Sounded pretty ominous.

[dereban]

Good. And no, I have no clue.

[She has some guesses, sure, but nothing entirely concrete in the slightest bit.]

In any case, we probably should try getting out of this school.