DAY 16 - OPEN ICP PROMPT

[shadowslipping]

Who: Open ICP Prompt + Closed Prompt with Alexis and Rei
Where: Medical
When: IMAGINATION 16 (After Station Departure)
What: Yuume gets to do her usual job.
Warnings: Will be added as they come up/if they come up.


[OPEN - VIDEO]

Hello everyone- I do apologize for the inconvienience, but I'm here to forewarn anyone who needs to use the medical car for any reason, of a matter that cannot be interrupted no matter what. While I will be having miss Saotome acting as my 'spotter' so to speak, leaving her conscious and able to explain matters, I thought it best to give the warning ahead of time all the same.

In short, we will be making use of the recovery room closest to the lift for a potential number of hours. Though I personally hope we don't take that long...

Regardless- I will be entering a patient's 'soul', and given the sensitivity of the process, it is of the utmost importance that neither myself or the patient be moved during that time.

Again, there will be another there to warn anyone who misses this message, but please do not open that door until I make the announcement that we're finished.

[CLOSED - ACTION - REI, ALEXIS]

Alright...

[The laptop she recently purchased through the shop of the train has been turned on, and carefully connected with the cord between it and her glove. Chairs have been set up, and the rolling table now holds the laptop itself.]

That should be it. Alexis- I need you to lay down as comfortably as possible on the bed here. Rei- you will essentially be monitoring our condition while in the 'Dream'. Alexis' soul-room, as it were. Visuals will come through my eyes, and I believe the program utilized by my usual apprentice will transcribe what we're saying into text. I've set it up so that you should be able to speak back to us- if you see anything odd, or if something occurs out here, say so, neh?

Beyond that... [She flexes her hand.] My hand cannot be moved from Alexis no matter what. The consequences could be dire, in a number of ways. Are both of you ready for this?

Comments

closed

[tokenloveinterest]

[Rei seems... nervous. I mean, who wouldn't be? But she nods.]

Do you know what to expect? Should I like... tape your hand to her?

Re: closed

[winterforecast]

[At first, Alexis was ready to bite Yuume's head off at the mere suggestion of peeking at her soul, purely out of contrarian habit. It was her problem to deal with, not some random weird magic lady's! Alexis has had more than enough of random weird magic people messing with her soul!

Then she took a look at Rei's face, and...

Who could argue with that, really?

Alexis takes off her spiked leather jacket for the first time that Rei and Yuume have seen her on the train, expression coldly neutral even as she nervously flexes her forearm and claws in and out of her fingertips to work out her nervousness.

Taking a deep breath, she lays down.]

Let's do this, nya.

[shadowslipping]

[Ahahahaaaaaa...] That won't be necessary...

But as it stands, while I don't expect the entry to involve any hostile encounters, there's very little indication on what to expect. Everyone's 'dream', everyone's 'soul', is quite unique. There is a reason my work emphasizes so much of a 'hands off' method of things. There's no telling if even the grains of sand in one dream, or the stars in another, could represent something vital. So, we observe.

And naturally, as you yourself are conscious, [she assures Alexis in turn,] You will be there with me as well. You will be able to speak, and see what is there- that in itself will give you quite an intuitive connection to what is going on, which makes things even easier for us both.

Saah, then...once we enter, Rei, you'll see something on-screen. Until then, simply relax. Now.

[Placing her hand, she takes in a deep breath, and relaxes in her own chair.]

'Okaeri'

[Yuume goes as limp as a ragdoll, but her hand does not move. Alexis herself will be equally knocked out.

Soon, the screen will show what Yuume can see.]

[winterforecast]

[The first thing that Yuume and Alexis feel when they enter her soul is cold.

In scientific terms, cold is defined as low amount of heat. But here, it feels like the cold is complete and utter absence of so much as the concept of "warm."

When their eyes open, they're greeted with a scene that matches the temperature. Yuume and Alexis are smack-dab in the center of a vast, sprawling library, bookshelves gracefully curving in on themselves in circular patterns that lead to... what look like stages from above, complete with stagelights and seating.

At least it used to be. Ice has crept over every surface, encasing everything in a thick layer of raw cold, forming battlements and walls and towers. Something about the ice seems fundamentally wrong, at odds with the rest of Alexis's soul—if Yuume played more videogames, she might liken it to having a different set of shaders compared to the rest of the scenery. The only thing that breaks through the ice is vivid greenery that grows out of the regimented bookshelves, each rustle of a leaf bringing with it a low animal call.

But perhaps the most notable thing about the soulscape, at least to Yuume's eyes, is that part of the sky is missing. As if somebody scooped out a perfectly circular portion of the top of the world, leaving a perfectly blank, perfectly black sphere of nothing in its wake.

Oh, right. One more thing.

The two are rapidly falling, with no sign that they're going to slow down before they hit the ground.

Oh dear.]

[shadowslipping]

[Well the cold sucks but she's not bundled for nothing. And hopefully Alexis doesn't even feel it.

The ground, however. Hm.

She looks for Alexis and quickly grabs for her.] This is going to feel odd, [Is her calm warning- and when they land, it will be through the ground and into cushioning shadow.

She'll haul them both out from there.]

[winterforecast]

[To her credit, Alexis doesn't scream or flail or panic as she falls with Yuume, although every nerve of her body screams with primal terror. Must be the feline reflexes.

She does, however, flinch and recoil when Yuume grabs her, stiffly rolling into the cushioning shadows as they land. Gasping and wheezing, Alexis hauls herself to her feet, wrapping her arms around her chest as she shivers.]

What the Hell is this place? And why does it feel so cold, nya!

[The place in question being one of the many stages that dot the vast library of Alexis's mind. The floorboards creak slightly beneath their feet, underneath a comparatively thin layer of ice compared to everywhere else. Around the stage are pure-white mannequins, each modeling a mask of Alexis's face (notably without any feline features) with a wide variety of emotions. Or at least, they were. Toppled, shattered, cleaved apart by ice, the statues and especially the masks are all destroyed, leaving only monstrous pillars of ice carved in the rough shape of a person in their place, with leering, cruel expressions. These too have been damaged, constricted by vines until they're crushed, but they're still standing... at least at the moment. The only undamaged ones appear to have been modified by the vines, the masks depicting Alexis's new appearance in a few basic emotions: anger, disgust, indifference, bloodlust, and... that's it.

Off in the distance, there's a low moan, like air escaping from the bloated corpse of a deceased whale, accompanied by a brief pulse of light that quickly fades.]

[tokenloveinterest]

[Rei wasn't sure what to expect, but... Seeing it like this? It's bad.]

I think... I get it. The stage and mannequins would be... the version of yourself you presented to others. Since a stage is for being looked at, and all. And then... whatever did that to you, smashed that up. And replaced it with those ice versions...

If I had to guess, I'd say whatever force did this to Alexis tried to erase any emotions that were inconvenient for it. I'm not sure about the vines, though.

open, video;

[happyends]

[ HEY ROOMIE WHAT THE HECK.

Of course Madoka is much more polite than that, and despite a similarly shocked sentiment running through her mind, it's expressed much more carefully when she quickly responds over the ICP.. ]

Yuume-san.. You're going to do.. um, what..?

[ Entering someone's soul?

Why is this world weirder and scarier every time Madoka hears something new about it. ]

[shadowslipping]

[DATS WHY THE JOB DANGEROUS,]

I'll be working with a client; I didn't expect to find myself doing my typical work while on this train, but after consulting both them, and a friend of theirs from another world, we determined it was a matter that necessitated a dive at the very least...

[ah] Oh- ...I should perhaps clarify...this probably wouldn't be possible if we weren't from similar realms. It might be, but I don't know that I would want to test it unless absolutely necessary...it's a very dangerous matter after all..!

[She has answered Nothing!]

[happyends]

[ Literally nothing.

And also made it clear once more that it's very dangerous.

Yuume, you're so good at reassuring people. A true talent. And it sure doesn't help that Madoka can be like a nervous little animal at times, so this is the least soothing thing ever. ]

I.. I know you've done this often.. [ It sounds like this, at least. ] But are you sure you should do it? W-what if it works differently out here in the void, and something terrible happens..?

[shadowslipping]

Mnh? Well, I would certainly hope nothing is different- if that were the case I'd have to be worried about any medical procedure that occurs on board after all. If we're able to physically handle those matters as typically as on any of our home planets, there shouldn't be any issue with this either.

That said, there is an 'emergency exit' of sorts, which will leave both of us unharmed if anything seems amiss. [Not that she ever uses it, but they won't go there.] So rest assured that it will be alright, neh?

[happyends]

[ There's a very, very meaningful pause. The implication that Madoka will very much worry is completely present in it, even though out loud she just says: ]

Okay...

[ DEFINITELY NO RESTING ASSURED HERE. ]

And this isn't something any of the healers could do? [ It's not like Yuume said just what exactly she's going to do inside of.. someone's.. soul..

.. you know, this hurts her brain to try and think about too deeply, maybe she shouldn't. ]

[shadowslipping]

[Mmmmmm. Yuume gains a rather serious expression.]

To be quite blunt Madoka, I would not at all want to risk that. This was my job in my realm- something I've spent years doing, and training for. It isn't something I would be able to simply tutor another in, nor would I wish to- it's too dangerous to compress that sort of training.

As it is, this is still just a check-up of sorts. While anything immediately necessary will certainly be dealt with while there, the goal is to go in, determine what is indeed the problem, and then come out. It will be alright.

Video

[namethattune]

[It has been a while since Siebren has been completely blindsided by something, but with this announcement, it looks like it's time to reset that timer.]

You will be what?

[shadowslipping]

Ahhh...performing an examination of a client's state of the soul?

At best this should be more of a check-over rather than anything that warrants severe work, but I can't speak for that just yet...with any luck, the room will be free shortly however!

[That is not what the question was for!]

[namethattune]

You are able to examine another person's soul.

[Sorry, Yuume, he's having trouble with the premise of the operation, not the details.]

[shadowslipping]

Yes? I'll admit that the only reason I'm certain we'll be fine is that we're from similar realms, but it was my job while in my own world after all. I've been doing this for a few years now, so I'm at least somewhat confident in my ability to do a checkup; I'd be far more worried if it was something dire...

[namethattune]

[There is a moment or two of silence in which Siebren is visibly processing this information before he comes to a conclusion.]

At some point, I would be interested to hear an explanation of how exactly that works. In the meantime, I hope the operation goes well.

[shadowslipping]

[Well she can't help but chuckle a bit lightly.] I suspect you're not the only one...

Well, we could arrange to meet up later then? I can let you know when I'm free in the evening if that sounds alright. The library or quiet rooms should do well.

And thank you for the well wishing, as well, [she adds with a small smile.]

[azrthmtrnznthos]

[Wait, what? Number one, did they realize how dangerous that was and number two, entering another person's soul? Oh dear Azar...]

I'm sorry, did you say you'll be entering a person's 'soul'?

[Raven could think of quite a few ways to do that and none of them were easy or good or done lightly.]

[shadowslipping]

[...This is becoming a bit of a trend. Yuume even looks a little tired, though she at least keeps a smile on.] I assure you, it is with full consent, and the confidence that we're from similar realms...

Understandably it must sound very strange for anyone from a world where that isn't a viable career...or even an option at all, I suppose, [she adds, blinking as the thought occurs to her. It's a bit strange to think of it simply Not Being, honestly.] I should probably assume that to be the norm...

[azrthmtrnznthos]

Probably a good idea to assume this isn't the norm, yes.

[Raven's voice is as deadpan as ever.]

You say this is a 'job' where you come from? I'd like to learn more, once you're free.

[shadowslipping]

[She's keeping this in mind...yes...ah-]

It is, yes. I'll be making an announcement when I'm done in here, so that would be about when I'll be free though.

[azrthmtrnznthos]

I'll give you some time afterwards since you'll likely be tired, even if you're used to this. Perhaps we could meet in the kitchen, over tea, when you're ready?

[A pause.]

I'm Raven.

[shadowslipping]

[Oh her name is Raven.........she doesn't have an outward reaction, but she does momentarily find herself a bit alarmed. She's quick to remind herself that it's not that uncommon an 'american' name though- and she's certainly not in Japan right now.]

That sounds fine to me. Depending on how things go, I won't need too much time, but I'll make sure not to rush things afterward.

Ah- my name is Yuume, on that note. It's good to meet you.