[Day 308-309, closed and open] They say ignorance is bliss.

[scary_music]

Who: Ibuki Mioda, Ippo, Colin, and others???
Open: Open and closed like a door that has no idea if it's a jar or not.
When: The night of day 308, and day 309
Where: Everywhere
What: Ibuki remembers things
Format: Action but ok with changing
Warnings: Dangan Ronpa spoilers, bad feels and probably lots of mood whiplash because Ibuki. Also, ice cream cake.

[Locked to Ippo, night of 308]
[At their house, Ibuki can be found sitting on the couch and clutching a pillow to herself; clad in her pajamas. Her piercings were already taken out for the day, though she hadn't let her hair down just yet.]

[She felt sick after everything she remembered... and she was worried. It'd be well within Ippo's right to turn his back on her if she told him. But ... still, he had to know, right? It wasn't right to keep that from him. She took in a shuddering breath, waiting for her boyfriend to return.]

[Open to all, day 309]
[The next day, Ibuki can be found doing her usual duties around the bastion. Cooking, taking care of the cows, and ... napping?]

[She took naps now and then, sure, but usually never where people can generally stumble across her. For that matter, her naps don't seem to last long as she suddenly awakes with a jerk and a miserable expression.]

[Also notable is the fact that she hasn't bothered to do up her hair or put in her piercings...]

[At some point during the day, she can be found going to the smithy to hand back the revolver she'd gotten there some time ago. Maya was long gone... and then Raile disappeared recently, too. And besides that, she wasn't sure she could trust herself with a weapon anymore... not with those memories floating around in her mind.]

[Locked to Colin, day 309]
[Eventually, she'll be wandering into Colin's workshop...]

[Ibuki's not looking any better than earlier that day]

Comments

[scary_music]

Eheh... otousama...

... I've... never had a real dad before...

... I... well, I mean... of course I had a dad but... he... never paid Ibuki any attention... so... so thank you... thank you so much, otousama.

[freedom_engineer]

A somewhat headstrong woman I once knew had a saying, Ibuki.

[Yep, still hugging her.]

"Family is a state of mind, and should never be defiled by genetics."

You find someone who makes a good dad, someone who'll be your dad? You latch right on. There's nothing wrong with that.

[scary_music]

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

...

There's... one other thing I...

... can you... not tell Aoi-chan about any of the stuff? She... doesn't come from when she'd know about any of what Ibuki was involved in.

... I... I'll tell her eventually, though... she deserves to know about it... and Makoto-chan thinks so, too...

... but I'm kind of scared of what she might do when she finds out.

... o... oh and Byakuya-chan, too. He... showed up recently and... he's kind of a jerk. Even more than Rob-chan!

[freedom_engineer]

Like I said, I don't really get on well with Aoi. So... I don't think you need to worry. And frankly, with my rep, I doubt anyone would take me seriously anyway.

[He smiles at her, and he pats her back.]

I'll have to work on teaching you to appreciate the differences in people, even the jerks. ... And how to beat them, when appropriate. In the meantime, where do you want to take a nap?

[scary_music]

A-ahaha... it's hard to appreciate people who don't want anything to do with Ibuki...

[Which she's pretty sure applies to both Byakuya and Rob...]

But um, anyway... probably home would probably be the best idea??

[... no matter where she took her nap, the idea of being given a dance show to lull her to sleep struck her as ridiculous suddenly; and she couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably for a few seconds]

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin draws back slightly from the hug to smile down at her.]

Hard, yes. But sometimes necessary. Half the people here don't want anything to do with me. Doesn't stop me from trying to do my job and knowing that other people have things to do also.

And... you sound exhausted.

[He resumes the hug again.]

Just wondering if you'll be okay at home, or if you want to be around people.

[scary_music]

... I... I think it's better if Ibuki just avoids Rob-chan as much as possible.

... but... yeah, I guess... is it okay if I just... collapse right here...?

[freedom_engineer]

There's some issues there, but we can drop some merculite on that bridge when we come to it.

[Whoops, what's this Ibuki? Colin's suddenly going to scoop you up in his arms.]

I've got a sofa over here you can crash on. Plenty comfortable, too.

[Yep, he's just going to carry her across the workshop to a back wall with a sofa, a nice out of the way place for resting.]

[scary_music]

Kyaaa~

Ibuki's being swept away!

[... well, at least she seems to be cheering up a bit]

[freedom_engineer]

Not quite swept away. Just taken by papa to take a nap is all.

[Colin grins down at her, and he lays her down on the couch. There's a blanket bunched up on the top of it that he pulls down and covers her up with.]

Now, Ibuki... watch and learn. My father taught me this when I was young.

[He steps back, giving a little kick of his feet as he stretches his legs a little. No sense stumbling when he's trying to take care of her, after all.]

[scary_music]

[She clutches the blanket to herself as she watches curiously]

Okay, Ibuki's ready. Show her your moves, otousama!

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin's grin grows a little wider, and he needs no further encouragement. He moves into a one-man waltz, his tempo slow at first as he dances to an unheard beat. His steps are staggered and halting at first, and he dances as though he might be possessed by a disjointed spirit.]

[It doesn't last. With time, his steps grow smoother, finding a steadier beat. As he moves, Ibuki's mind will find it harder to focus on that which troubles her.]

[As the minutes pass, he finally seems to be moving like water, the motions smooth and happy, the tune he's dancing to visually regal and upbeat. The energy surrounding him seems to have found pleasure with his movements, and the very atmosphere of the Bastion seems lighter, less troubled.]

[The Love Sonata is a powerful dance, capable of influencing the minds of all those around the dancer. It cannot compel activity, but it is more than capable of guiding thoughts away from the darker aspects of the soul. Ibuki should sleep easier today, at the very least.]

[scary_music]

W-wow...

... that's... wow...

[She knew there was magic in this place, yes, but to feel it directly affect her like that, and for it to just melt away everything that had been bothering her]

Thank you... thank you so much, otousama...

[There were tears, but this time they came from the immense relief she felt.]

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin keeps right on grinning happily, never once losing his step as he dances before her.]

You should see my dad do it. He makes me look like a stumbling student...

The longer I do this, the better your sleep will be. So close your eyes, Ibuki, and rest. I can keep this up for a while yet.

[scary_music]

Yeah...

[And the moment she closes her eyes, she falls fast asleep.]

[... also, Colin may notice a glint from Ibuki's left hand, on her ring finger: A gold ring with a citrine set into it]

[freedom_engineer]

[Oh, he's noticed. He's an observant sort, even if his mun isn't. But it was hardly the most important item of the day.]

[He keeps the dance up for a good ten minutes before he gets tired and needs to stop. He sets a monitor on Ibuki in his eye to keep track of her sleep, and he goes to get some water. Then, he returns to work. Fuses and other projects that don't make a lot of noise seem to be the order of the day, he doesn't want her rest disturbed.]

Sleep well, Ibuki.

[scary_music]

[Eventually, some hours later, Ibuki will awake feeling rather refreshed. She'll bounce over to where Colin is working and peer over his shoulder]

Otousamaaaaaaa!! That was amaaaaaaazing! Ibuki hasn't slept that well in...

... about a day! Or something.

Whatcha making??

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin smiles as he's alerted to her approach, but he doesn't lift his head just yet.]

Working on the network necessities for a surveillance system now. There've been a couple of jerks getting away with things for far too long. Next time that saboteur shows up, I'm going to catch her. Or him. Could be either...

I'm glad that you slept well. I'll do what I can to help you with that when you need it. But...

[Okay, now he turns his head to look at her.]

It's still something you're going to have to face and learn to live with. I can't just whisk it all away every time it comes up.

[scary_music]

Terrible... is there anything Ibuki can do to help catch the guy? Or girl? Or people? Or whoever it is sabotaging??

...

And, ummm... Ibuki doesn't suppose you have any sage advice on how to deal with the nightmares without magical dancing, then, otousama?

[freedom_engineer]

Nothing I can think of at the moment.

[Colin shakes his head.]

I need to get the parts for this from the monument, and what I'm designing is going to be smaller than most people here will be used to. I'll be happy to show you what I'm doing, of course, but the tech is going to be beyond what you're used to.

... Of course, vigilance will be very useful. If you see anything out of place and suspicious, let me know.

[He smiles a little sadly as he moves onto her next question.]

Talk about it with people you trust. Don't run from it. Face it with the support you've got. I'm more than happy to listen and lend a hand where I can. But I suspect Paarthurnax will be better suited to actually helping you move past it... Possibly someone else, I don't know everyone's relationships with you. I imagine that Ippo will be able to help some.

[scary_music]

Okay, Ibuki will keep an eye out! And an ear out! For suspicious stuff, that is.

[She nods a bit at Colin's advice. Well, she'd already gotten a good amount of support. Ibuki would just keep going to them then whenever she needed them, then.]

... Soooo... you wanted to know about the simulation Ibuki was in before she showed up here, right? Ibuki's not sure how much she can help describe it but...

[freedom_engineer]

If you're comfortable talking about it, I'm definitely open to hearing about it. It sounds complex.

[At least complex enough to be worth his attention...]

[scary_music]

Yeah, yeah, it's no problem but um... you know, I was hardly tech savvy back then so I don't be able to really, you know, describe stuff that well.

Anyway um, they hooked Ibuki and her friends to this machine that basically downloaded them into the thing. It was supposed to overwrite Ibuki's memories of despair when it was finished.

[freedom_engineer]

Consciousness projection into a virtual environment.

[Colin nods.]

I'm familiar with it. Was it expansive?

[scary_music]

It was probably expensive!

[badum tsh]

But um, the simulation itself was just with Jabberwock Island... well, Ibuki guesses islands? Since there was more than one but they were all connected by bridges.

... but because of the virus, Ibuki only got to see four of the islands. Maaan, Ibuki heard that one of the islands had an amusement park on it, but that one was still closed off before the Calamity hit...