View source for 2425/Les Reves des Chats

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2025/03/23
|Location=Cafe BAKE Neko
|Synopsis=Mamoru calls Emi to the cat cafe with Chibiusa and totally forgets what he wanted to ask. Amy also shows up. The dreamscape is discussed.
|Cast of Characters=38,107,270,176
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>It is a Saturday afternoon, school is out, the Spectre Sisters and Rubeus are dead, and Mamoru and Chibiusa are in the cat cafe in Mamoru's favorite corner booth. They both have desserts and beverages, there are open chairs near them, and there are cats. There had better be cats, it's a cat cafe! No less than three cats are sitting on things ''watching'' Mamoru and Chibiusa-- but mostly Mamoru-- because he just got done feeding Anko and even though he washed his hands he still bears the vibe of 'handled salmon recently'.<br><br>Anko the cat that's the size of a dog is sitting curled up into an immense tribble on the chair next to Mamoru, which is why the watching cats haven't tried making a move.<br><br>Mamoru's in a (new) vintage Guitar Wolf t-shirt and a black button-down shirt instead of a jacket, black skinny jeans, dress shoes. His glasses are smudged and his hair is very fluffy.<br><br>"You'll like her," Mamoru's saying to Chibiusa with his fork full of tiramisu. "Or I mean, maybe you won't. But I like her. She's got a spider mascot, though, I told you that right?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cat cafe, cat cafe!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Perhaps Amy can come to... ''just relax?'' She's not rushing here just after a life-and-death battle, or attending an exposition meeting -- today was just... school, and life has been relatively calm the past couple of days.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And she does not have a pet in the dorm and there are cats to play with and maybe... just ''maybe''... as stingy as she is about spending on meals due to her lack of income, it's okay to go out to eat on occasion?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She walks in the doors in a red T-shirt and her uniform skirt, and casual sneakers. "Oh, hey guys!" She smiles and waves upon seeing Mamory and Chibiusa across the room. "How's it going? Nice to have a normal day for once, huh?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Chibiusa Tsukino (270)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa is reaching over to scritch Anko behind the ears. She's here wearing a very formal looking white and blue dress with faint floral print. Something a bit on the fancy side for someone her size, but it's something she likes.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"If you like her then I'll be nice whether I actually like her or not." For a given definition of 'nice'. "Yeah, you mentioned the spider mascot. That could be either really neat or really gross depending--"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy comes in. Chibiusa stops scritching Anko long enough to wave at her. "Hi, Amy-chan." Then her hand goes right back to scritching, of course.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Under the table, her legs kick a little hyperactively, because no matter how pretty she dresses or how old she ''actually'' is, she's still a child.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:176|Emi Hoshino (176)}} has posed:'''<br>Emi doesn't have a problem with cats. If she's being honest with herself (she's a teenager she's never honest with herself), she'd admit she missed her family's cat from when she was a child (she's still a child but don't tell her that). When Mamoru invited her to the cat cafe, she texted back that it wasn't really her scene, but she'd turn up, sure. Hang out. Whatever. She's cool, you know? She'd take public transport and stuff.<br><br> She's all gothed up when she arrives. Given the sunny weather outside, she's got her parasol with her, visibly decorated with interlaced spiderwebs stithced atop it. Closing it upon entering, she catches sight of Mamoru. He's too tall to miss, really, and sees that he's with Amy. Cool. And then sees that he's with a ... little girl? Well, okay then. <br><br> She makes her way over towards them with a slouched air of serene indifference before she slides into a seat with nary even a bow, giving a casual, "Yo," in greeting as she smooths out her dress.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Mamoru waves back to Amy-- waves her over closer, in fact, and while he's waiting for her to make her way over he gives Chibiusa a very wry look over 'being nice even if'. "Thank you," he says, "for saving my face."<br><br>Once Amy's in conversational distance, he says, "We're meeting Emi-san here but you're welcome to chill with us too. Go on up and get whatever you want, they know I'm good for it and you're sitting with us..."<br><br>And then there's Emi, who's ''also'' hard to miss, given her overall Look. "Yo," he says back, amused. "This is my daughter from the future, who has a list of acceptable nicknames. But we usually call her Chibiusa. Chibiusa-chan, this is Hoshino Emi-san, and Emi-san, I don't think she'll be afraid of KenKen."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy approaches when she's waved over, and ''also'' pets Anko. During her frequent visits over the past couple of months -- both to check on Veronica ''and'' after whatever disaster happened that day -- she's always been happy to give the sometimes-big cat affection.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh, Emi's coming? That's going to be verbally confusing." She quips with a smile. "It'll be good to see her finally healed, though." Mamoru says to get what she wants, and she looks thoughtful as she taps to the side of her lips with a finger. "Hmm. I ''am'' at a cafe, huh. I guess I should try a slice of cake!" She grins. "...But that's dessert. What would you reccomend for some actual nutrition to have with it?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then there's Emi. Amy waves and smiles, and takes a seat. "Yo. Feeling better?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She does not react at all when Mamoru claims the little girl is his daughter from the future. If it's a joke, she's both in on it and has a perfect poker face.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Chibiusa Tsukino (270)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa was about to say, 'Of course. I like your face', but she decides to keep that kind of affectionate sarcasm for family time today.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Emi arrives, and Chibiusa turns to look. Gothic style, huh? Not a bad choice. It's not Small Lady's style but she respects it. "Hello, Hoshino Emi-san." At the mention of KenKen, she glances towards Mamoru and asks, "Is that the spider mascot's name?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Small Lady, also, does not actually flinch at being called 'daughter from the future', but she does note it. Or at least, she would, if she wasn't already told that Emi had magical awareness. This is someone that Mamoru trusts.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Alternate future, actually. My papa was just telling me about you."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:176|Emi Hoshino (176)}} has posed:'''<br>It seems like Emi *is* finally healed, given the relaxed posture, leaning back, and what's not. She's comfortable. "Oh hey, Amy. I didn't know you were going to be -- I'm sorry. Did you say 'daughter from the future'?" She stares at Mamoru for a long moment. "... that ... you know what, sure. Let's go with that." A delicate throat clear before she eyes a kitty. She's wearing black. They have fur. She knew this would happen, unfortuantely.<br><br>"Yeah, KenKen is the spider. She knows about K-.. you know what, sure. Let's go with it," she repeats. "...alternate future," she corrects herself once thatw part sinks in. "And yeah. Goth. That's me. Nice to... meet you? KenKen is at home. I figured bringing a giant, magical phiddipus audax looking spider to a cat cafe would just be asking for trouble."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"It's a cafe. There's milk and eggs in cake, right? That's protein," the tall prince says to Amy, waving a hand a little. "I think there are prepackaged sandwiches and some stuff, but it's mostly baked goods. Because. You know. Not just a bakeneko," he explains, saying it properly, and then he says, "Cafe BAKE Neko." The 'bake' is English.<br><br>It's a *hideous pun*.<br><br>Anko rumble-purrs with Chibiusa's scritching, and then rumbles even more with Amy's scritching, but she doesn't lift her head. Just sounds like a motorboat. There's a grey tabby, unrelated, that's investigating Emi's hem once she sits down.<br><br>And good GRIEF, Mamoru's chest literally puffs up a bit and he stands up straighter when Chibiusa calls him her papa in front of people. He gives up and grins. "But yes, there is nobody at this table with no magic. This is the cool kids' table. It's cool because Chibiusa-chan is here. Anyway, Anko would make sure none of the other cats bothered KenKen, but thank you for not publically making me scream like a little baby."<br><br>After savoring another bite of his tiramisu, Mamoru gestures at the counter and the pastry and sweets and says to Emi, "If you're interested in anything, just go up and ask for it, you're at my table. And ''then''-- we can talk about what we were going to talk about, which honestly I forgot, because I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop with the assassins from the future."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamoru puns, and Amy looks at him, and then smiles, and then ''cackles''. "Fine. A slice of cake it is, then."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And she smiles at seeing how happy Mamoru is to be called papa, too. It's a little infectious.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She walks over to the counter. "One slice of cake and a..." Why not? Try something new! "A boba tea. I'm with him."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once she's got her food, she sits back down at the table.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Chibiusa Tsukino (270)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa has no idea what those latin words mean but she pretends like she does and nods. "Well okay, fair enough."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her red eyes also dart towards Emi's black dress for a moment, then quickly looks away. It's a cat cafe. Fur on clothes is to be expected.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamoru explains the pun and Chibiusa giggles as if she hasn't heard it before, which she totally actually has because this is one of her two homes right now. She also noticed that Mamochan always gets happy whenever he gets called 'papa', and this isn't the first time, so she adds that to the list of acceptable... well not 'nicknames' but 'things to call Mamoru'.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Right. The assassins from the future. Even if the Spectre Sisters are gone we shouldn't just assume it's okay."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa doesn't quite want bring up the fact that if her future gets saved then she might be staying there... but it crosses her mind. Besides, that's not set in stone. Maybe her home timeline parents will let her stay here for training or something?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unless the future really is in as awful a state as the Black Moon Clan has been saying...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She pushes that thought out of her mind. "Right! What we were gonna talk about. The thing."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:176|Emi Hoshino (176)}} has posed:'''<br>So, a lot of that is just purely confusing to Emi. Oh, all the words make sense, but it's perilously confusing. A cognitohazard, perhaps, that she's going to spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out, like what world these people are actually living in. She pinches herself briefly and ignores the gray cat, letting them investigate at their leisure. Paying no attention and staying still are two things Emi is very good at. <br><br> "Sure. Boba tea," she agrees, imperiously.<br><br>"Sooo. I'm doing fine, thanks for asking," she casually puts out there in an effort to put the conversation somewhere she is actually capable of speaking to.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Oh, Mamoru ''enjoys'' his puns being enjoyed. He sets down his fork and picks up his coffee, sipping it and looking pleased with himself as Amy goes off to get her food. Then Amy's coming back and Mamoru's listening to Chibiusa, and his eyes crinkle at the corners.<br><br>But he gives Emi a wry smile at her last. "Sorry," he says, getting up. "I'll get your tea. I should have asked, but I could see your range of motion restored, you're not walking around favoring anything." His hand touches the top of Chibiusa's head in passing -- (hello! love! warm! bedrock!) - as he does, in fact, go to get Emi's tea.<br><br>When ''he'' comes back, he says, "I'm really sorry, most of what I talk about is magic and related nonsense. I'll admit I do hope to get you involved more with everyone else, but-- I-- really have enjoyed helping you out and getting in over my head. It's good for my humility."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What world ''are'' these people actually living in?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;~~ Amy's World ~~<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy is certainly not going to chide Mamoru for bad puns! She's the one who thinks that tiger-saying-'nyo' shirt she wears sometimes is ''really clever actually'' (and also cute) (nyo tiger --&gt; nyo-taiga --&gt; nyo-taika ('turned into a girl')) But also she kind of loves puns in general, even bad ones!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She returns to the table, setting down her food to free up her hands so she can sweep the back of her skirt under her with her hands as she sits down. Every once in awhile she forgets to do this, or doesn't quite catch it right, or something, and the feeling of chair with no skirt in between ''reminds'' her. It has been A Thing, and she wonders how long it will take to get it down fully or if everyone who wears skirts messes it up sometimes and she never noticed.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Should she ask somebody? Will they say she's weird? Is she just doing this stuff wrong, somehow? Is this a normal concern for anyone who has only been wearing skirts for 20 months or is this just a concern manufactured by a teenage brain, way too concerned about what people think of her? But it ''is'' important what people think of her! Like, the life of a magical girl depends on friendship!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ah, eating cake in a cafe. It's a little bit brainrot, perhaps -- she's always liked sweet foods, and no one thinks anything of it that she's ever talked to, but ''multiple'' manga have acted somehow like liking cakes and ordering them in cafes is somehow a girl thing and so she can't help but ''think'' about that and smile about it, however dumb it is, as she takes a bite and chews.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Such is the world of a gender-bender magical girl manga protagonist, after all.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;~~ Emi's World ~~<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After chewing and swallowing a bit of her cake with a smile, Amy turns to look at Emi. "So what ''is'' the thing we were gonna talk about that he forgot about, anyway?" She then takes a sip of the boba tea.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Chibiusa Tsukino (270)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa doesn't really have any prepared messages for Mamoru when he touches her head, but the thoughts crossing her mind are about 'oh he's getting up' and after noticing his transferred feelings, 'love! hugs! come back soon!'<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Small Lady's empty plate is near her spot at the table, having been already consumed and pushed aside. She's clearly done with whatever it was she just ate, which is why she isn't asking for anything more.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa does, however, smirk at Mamo's comment regarding his humility.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa glances at Emi, Mamoru, and then Amy. "Um... was it dreamscape stuff? I thought someone mentioned that at some point, but I'm not sure I get it."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:176|Emi Hoshino (176)}} has posed:'''<br>Pursing her lips a moment, Emi clearly has no idea what she's actually been summoned for. She glances from Amy back to Mamoru and then back to the ... little girl. Who asks about the Dreamscape. Weird. Shouldn't she be like asking for sweets or something instead?<br><br>She peeks through her long black-and-pink bangs at her before she slips back into her seat. Once her Boba arrives, she has a little sip of it, savors the taste and then at long last finds those most elusive of creations: words.<br><br>"Yeah. I'm really sorry you've had to deal with all that. You shouldn't have to have. I'll try to be more careful going forward. I'm working on getting back into shape and Hinoiri tells me dream magic is apparently pretty rare even where she's ... from."<br><br>She hesitates a moment. The whole 'unicorn from kirakiraridiculousname' is still weird to her, clearly.<br><br>"So... whatcha wanna know, I guess?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Whatcha wanna know? "Everything?" Amy replies, after lifting her lips from the straw and swallowing. "Like... the dream monsters we fought so far... Collecting musical notes, the subway, the maxe of endless alleys, the club, was that all part of the dreamscape, or something else? How do the dreams of ''people'' figure into it? Are my dreams a physical place people could ''go'' to, if they knew how?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That gives her another thought. "Can dream-me leave my dreamscape, if I knew how? To go to the real world or visit other people's dreams?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy tilts her head to one side. "Although... when fighting those monsters, I was always lucid, and in dreams, I'm mostly not." Amy blinks. "Hey, wait, while sleeping are we in danger of dream monsters? We'd be... kind of defenseless, if we don't know we're dreaming. I don't know about you, but in a lot of my dreams, I don't have powers."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Settling back in next to Chibiusa -- he's back soon! now, even -- Mamoru relaxes back a little and makes sure his unfinished dessert isn't in cat range of any kind, and picks up his drink. "It was probably dreamscape stuff, yeah. Also-- no, dammit, there was also something else. It wasn't Kaito, it wasn't any of the other people--"<br><br>He shakes his head, looking a little frustrated. Then he looks wry, letting it go. "Chibiusa-chan is as magical as we are," he assures everyone's favorite delinquent, whose grey cat visitor seems to have finished investigating and wandered off. "But also yeah, I mean, I didn't even know dream magic was a thing. Not really, anyway. There's what I can do, but that's just-- that's just leftover. From when you could get to my home by dreaming about it."<br><br>A beat. "Which was during the Younger Dryas."<br><br>He gestures hurriedly at Amy. "She has good questions!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Chibiusa Tsukino (270)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa is just sitting here, glancing between Mamoru, Emi and Amy. There was ''something'' Mamoru wanted to ask but he can't remember it. Yet it must have been important... right? Or maybe not really?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I mean, I've never even ''seen'' this dreamscape, so I'm a bit lost here. I'm totally magic though. I got a magic toy and everything."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's not volunteering any more information than that. The less who know the fewer who can spill the details, accidentally or on purpose, and she's still expecting people to come after her.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yeah, I also want to know if dream monsters are gonna eat me in my sleep. Like that seems important." Small Lady guesses that the answer is 'no' but she's going to ask regardless.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:176|Emi Hoshino (176)}} has posed:'''<br>Emi had this whole response planned about if Amy wants to know stuff she should get her some cigarettes, but she's reminded she's in the presence of, you know, a child. A -really- young child, and thus she thinks better of it. Chewing her bottom lip for a moment, she lets out a breath at the annoyance of these constraints, though it just blows some of her bangs up and makes her look generally annoyed for a moment.<br><br>Totally magic, she says, which given that she's apparently got a story as convoluted as your typical X-Men character from the sound of things, means its probably all right to go into the details.<br><br>"Huh," she says finally.<br><br>"Well, all right. To answer a few questions; Imagine everyone's dream as like.. honestly, it's hard to describe, but everyone in a locality who's asleep has their own little .... bubble, I guess, and together all those dreams create a locality into a wider dreamscape. Lemme use an example close to home. The Academy has its own dream-version of itself. It's all .... bright and floral." She wrinkles her nose, "but it's also made up of the combined dreams of everyone who lives there and sleeps there in proximity, and the dream-academy sits in dream-Tokyo, which is made up of not just the dreamers of Tokyo, but the people who dream ABOUT Tokyo influence it too. It is a 'concept' of Tokyo as much as a living, breathing, evolving dream-city. It's never exactly the same when I visit it. Just broadly." <br><br>She lets out a breath.<br><br>"You *can* learn to leave your dreams, but you wanna be a lucid dreamer for that, because if you're not, the things that dwell there will gladly take advantage of you. A lot of them aren't 'nice'. Some are, though." She leans back, wiggling her feet under the table, tapping as she thinks, mismatched eyes drifting half-shut as she lazes in her chair. She looks very much like one of the cats laying around here, yes, and why not? Can you name an animal better at sleeping on command?<br><br>"Nightmares, though... That's complicated. They're not one thing, they're like ... a bunch of different things. Sometimes, they're just dream energy made dark by bad dreams, and the idea in them can take root and become something. Other times, they're like ... something that emerges from deeper within the dreamscape, a darkness given form, thought, and shape by the combination of different concepts. Other times, they're like a ... representative of common stresses or cultural concepts unique to Japan, or anywhere. Now, sometimes, masses of energy are drawn towards people in trouble, and that energy infiltrates them, or they're poisoned with darkness in reality and bring it with them to the dreamscape. All of that influences everything around them, and if there's enough of it, that can like... form a nightmare from a dreamer. Like ... before I came to Tokyo from Kyoto, there was this kid. His sister teased him by making up some bad guy called 'the Needle Man', but that kid's home life was so stressful, and there was enough darkness around, that he'd drawn darkness to his nightmare, or generated it on his own out of fear. So I had to kill a guy with big needles for fingers. Was fun." She keeps her voice low enough. She's not exactly super comfortable talking all this *here*, but if they are, she is for the moment.<br><br>"So no, I don't recommend just venturing out into the dreamscape. It's dangerous at the best of times, and unless you've got dream magic like me, you're gonna be vulnerable. As for going to other dreams.. *I* can, but that's like ... my magic. But it takes a bridge and I have to build it to go there."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy blinks at Mamoru. "You can get to your home ''by dreaming about it?''"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods at Chibiusa's assertion that she's magic. "I ''hope'' dream monsters aren't gonna eat us in our sleep..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;How could she possibly get Emi cigarettes anyway? Yeah, she has ''an'' ID that says she's an adult but she doesn't match the picture at all. If anything she is occasionally mistaken for like twelve because she's so small.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She listens attentively to the exposition. Amanda loves learning things!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Everyone in a locality... is it that dreams are on a sort of adjacent plane, with space matching--wait, but then with all the students crammed together in the dorms their dreams would blead into eachother-- ah, sorry, continue."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She actually ''gasps'' when Emi says there's a dream version of the academy. "Woah, ''really?!'' That's ''amazing''!! Can we go there?!"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Being a lucid dreamer helps... she'll have to learn that skill!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods at the explanation of the Needle Man.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And she pouts a little at being told it's dangerous to go look at the dreamscape. "Could you... take us to see it, sometime?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Mamoru makes a face at Amy that's a little bit gratified and a little bit :P over her question. "Well you can't get there that way ''anymore,''" he says, but he doesn't look or sound cross. "I closed it. You can't dream your way in, or teleport in, or anything in. I closed it the day everything ended so Beryl couldn't get in. I wonder what it's like now..."<br><br>He trails off, looking distracted for a moment as he imagines different possibilities, but wrenches his attention back to the conversation at hand.<br><br>And oh Mamoru debates whether or not to humblebrag about Emi having taken him to see the Dreamscape. He thinks about it. He thinks about it hard. It's on the tip of his tongue...<br><br>And then Emi mentions the needle man and ''why he was called that'' and he visibly shudders and distracts himself with drinking his drink. "Okay, I've got one," he says, glancing from Chibiusa to Emi. "If a nightmare is made of bad memories and it recurs, can you explore it if you can wake yourself up in it? Or does it always just go away?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Chibiusa Tsukino (270)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Small Lady doesn't know very much about getting cigarettes and she most certainly can't pass as an adult despite being the oldest person here.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She also has a convoluted backstory for sure, but that's not really the topic of conversation. Unless...?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Huh. So it's a bit more complicated than... like... some dark general made a youma out of your dreams and wants to trap you in them, or whatever."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Though, a dude with needles for fingers sure ''sounds'' like a youma.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa glances at Amy and says, "I think he means... like... Golden Kingdom home, not like ''the apartment upstairs'' home."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh, and then Mamoru suddenly remembers why he asked, maybe, and then Small Lady kinda gets it. She has a slightly mortified look which she aims at a random spot on the wall. "Right. Yeah. Trauma dreams. That makes sense."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She does not elaborate on why that question makes sense to her, but one might be able to guess that it's related to her X-men backstory.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:176|Emi Hoshino (176)}} has posed:'''<br>"Everyone's connected to the same grid, but not to each other *directly*. Just like someone can light up a room with a smile or bring it down if they're gloomy enough, so too with the dreamscape. We all influence each other, but most of the time its indirect. And yeah, of course there's a dream Academy. Generations of students have stayed there, so it's been built up over time, and reflects the students that were there today building on yesterday, influenced yb all the dreams around it and of the people whose imaginations might be influenced by it's Fantasy Castle looking ass."<br><br>"And I've *tried* a few different things. Every last one of them ended in disaster. It's not an easy thing, to say nothing of the dangers." She glances towards Mamoru, "I managed it with Mamoru, but only because he's an experienced dreamer, and was able to find the doorway largely on his own. See, every dreamer has this ...barrier between them and the dreamscape, I call it the Border Ephemeral, a liminal space that exists where your dream ends and the dreamscape begins. It's different for everyone, and navigating it is hard. Every dreamed about being stuck in an endless set of hallways, or trying to find the right class at school and never finding it? You were in your border, the edge of the dream. Find your way out and you might make it to the dreamscape, but like I said, I don't advise it out right."<br><br>Emi finishes addressing Amy's concerns, her eyes swinging back towards Chibiusa and Mamoru, squinting at the pair of them like she has no idea what they're talking about ... <br><br> ...because she has no idea what they're talking about, in a lot of ways.<br><br>"... so, yeah. If you go lucid in your own nightmare, you can explore it. I've helped some people figure shit out that way before, even without them being awake. Sometimes, all anyone needs is a little guidance and a little perspective, I guess. Sometimes ... it's more complicated."<br><br> Emi's eyes grow distant a moment.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy nods to Chibiusa, "Yeah, I got that much." And she also wants to know the answer to Mamoru's question. She looks back to Emi.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"You've tried a few different things... you mean just showing people Dream Tokyo ends in disaster?" She cannot help pouting a bit again.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the words 'endless set of hallways' she ''actually groans in frustration.'' "Arrrrrgh! Uh, yeah." Can't find the class at school? "''Yeah.''" She nods. "Oh. And here I thought it was 'cuz it was a dream being made up by my brain and so not, like... a ''space'' that has to make physical sense... but..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy strokes her chin in thought. "Not ''all'' dreams are like that, after all. Sometimes you go from one place to another place, and you ''get there'', rather than being stuck in a maze forever."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'll work on lucid dreaming." She looks to Mamoru, eyes shining with interest. "How do you become an experienced dreamer? I've dreamed lots, but I don't think that's what she means."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>"Then I'll definitely be hitting you up for some help with my sh--" his eyes widen and he double fingerguns at Chibiusa, "--missed the swear jar by the skin of my teeth!" and continues to Emi, "help with PTSD I can't actually get from mundane counseling. If that's too much, please say -- I can keep working on it slowly myself."<br><br>Then he's Not Looking At Chibiusa At All when he asks, "Can you find stuff that was there at the time but that you didn't personally perceive? Because... I want to see if I can help someone, or if they're willing to work with you, if you can help them, do some investigating into a really bad thing that happened."<br><br>Then he blinks at Amy, finishes his drink, sets the cup down, and looks thoughtful. "Maybe just a lot of lucid dreaming? It also helps a lot that I'm aware of how things ''used'' to work for me-- in this life I hadn't been able to do this until I remembered who I was. But it could also be like-- look into memory palaces, that's how I arrange the inside of my head so I can use it for dreaming too."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Chibiusa Tsukino (270)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa crosses her arms and leans back into her seat, which might look funny because at the angle she's sitting at she can only just barely see over the top of the table. She adds on to Amy's questions, asking, "Would keeping a dream diary help? I know people talk about that a lot when it comes to learning how to be lucid."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mamoru almost says something he ''shouldn't'' and Chibiusa's red eyes dart ''right'' for him. "Close one, Mamochan."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Small Lady is a bit curious about where Mamoru is going with this, though she's starting to piece things together in her mind. After all, the ''locality'' of the 30th century might be both really far away or really close depending on how it works, and the young future princess certainly has a mental image of what it looks like to her.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;...As well as how it looked when she fled.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;However, she does not share her thoughts. Instead she stares at Emi with her tiny red eyes, just above the table line, which probably isn't very helpful.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:176|Emi Hoshino (176)}} has posed:'''<br>"Not wrong, Amy. You're close. You *are* making it too. It's based on you." She gestures at her head. "Some amount of self-understanding is required to find the door. Unless you're me, and then you don't have to understand shi-" pause.<br><br>She stops herself. It is also a close one.<br><br>"I can, like ... try to help with the lucid dreaming if I have time." She looks down a moment, bangs covering her eyes as she answers Mamoru. "No, I can help. This is what I'm supposed to do." Nails drum against the tabletop, "But you're gonna need to wait your turn unless it's urgent." She can feel Chibiusa's eyes on her, however, and she raises her gaze towards her, face shrouded partially by the length of her hair. Looking very much the Sadako, she asks Chibiusa the most important question of the night.<br><br>"Have you ever considered a career in J-horror, kid?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy wonders about Mamoru's question. "It's not the actual place, it's peoples' ''idea'' of the place, right? So it'd depend on if the thing you didn't see is part of their concept of the place or not."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She blinks. "How it ''used'' to work for you? What, you had -- and have -- ''dream powers'', too?" This is surprising information!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy hmms. "Memory palaces... yeah, I know the basics, but I never really used them. I was a little worried, like, what if I fill my brain up?" She blinks. "Well, goes to show what past me knew. Now I've filled my brain up with far more than I could've imagined then, and it's not even organized."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nods at Chibiusa. "I find it does help! But like, indirectly. If you're thinking more about dreams while awake, your brain might randomly decide to dream about having a dream, you know? It's not reliable. Although I think writing down dreams is neat anyway."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looks back to Emi, and nods. "I'd appreciate any tips you've got. This all sounds really cool, and I'd like to be able to see it. "What's Japanes Horror have to do with anything?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:38|Mamoru Chiba (38)}} has posed:'''<br>Mamoru glances down at his alt-future daughter when Emi asks her about horror, and he regards her for a moment, then looks at Emi and beams. "You should meet Luna-P, her arguably sapient and potentially violent magic toy. She turned it into a gun and shot an assassin with it," he says proudly, then laughs, and nods. "I can wait for as long as I need to, it's not urgent. They're not dark energy or anything."<br><br>Then Mamoru shakes his head at Amy. "I don't really. Mostly I'm psychic and have control over my own dreams. I can also give you a rose and if you fall asleep with it I can go in your dreams, or I can let you into mine, but if we did that Usako would definitely have to be there too. And again, it's just-- it's just more psychic and connections stuff... we can talk about it later if you want, but like, Emi-san is the one who can actually *do* stuff, and wander around in that beautiful place--"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Chibiusa Tsukino (270)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa raises an eyebrow at Emi, and then looks over at Mamoru. Is she really that scary? Or maybe it's just the fact that she's the kind of small child who appears in those movies? She looks back to Emi.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm not gonna star in movies I'm too young to watch."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That stare is still going strong, though. She didn't catch the hint, or maybe she's just very aware that Emi almost said a bad word.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I think if you fill your brain up you just forget something you haven't used in a while. Maybe." Small Lady doesn't seem too sure about that. It's possible she used to know the answer to that and just forgot it. Oh well, it's probably not important.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"A dream of having a dream? Oh I hate those. Especially when I wake up but I'm still asleep. Like... what even is that?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Luna-P gets mentioned and Small Lady gets a little excited because Luna-P really is her ''favorite'' toy and now she gets to brag about it. "Yeah but the gun isn't as effective as I'd like it to be. Luna-P is still pretty useful as an escape tool, though."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:176|Emi Hoshino (176)}} has posed:'''<br>"I'm just saying," says Emi to Chibiusa, without finishing the thought as to what she's saying at all. <br><br> She kicks back for a moment. "Yeah, dreams -- and nightmares -- can get pretty layered. Like, sometimes, the nightmare isn't even on top. Everything can LOOK fine and it's not. Peel away the surface and you can see the rot roiling beneath, poisoning a soul. Sometimes, you have to swim through layers of grief and denial to get to the bottom and pull someone out of it." She puts her hands together behind her head, stares up at the ceiling. Amy is eyed. <br><br>"Go watch more Japanese horror if you need me to tell you that, or hell, American horror if you really have to. Dream diary can help. Lot of tricks out there to help. Like, Mamoru and I were able to work together to get him and Usagi a glimpse of the dreamscape, but that's only because he already could do some things, but at least someone knows I'm not full of it." She seems relieved about that, a little bit.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy just stares at Mamoru's revelation that he's has control of his own dreams. "Well ''that's'' cool." And then he tops it with the rose thing. "''What.'' That's... wow. ''That's'' pretty cool ''too!''" She nods at Usagi wanting to be there too. Makes sense.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She does give Chibiusa a thoughtful look at the mention of filling a brain up. The one who's 800 would know... She shakes her head at the other comment. "No I mean, I've had those ''too'' and yeah they're annoying, but a couple of times I've had a lucid dream because my brain decided the dream was that I was lucid dreaming."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She still doesn't see what J-Horror has to do with it, but... "I'll look into it."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Chibiusa Tsukino (270)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa listens intently as the subject of dreams is discussed, even if certain topics are being danced around. She also doesn't really know what J-Horror has to do with it, but she's not going to ask because she doesn't want to look weak. Well, more than that, she doesn't want to ask a question she's sure she'll be told she isn't allowed to know.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy's lucid dream experience is... not something Chibiusa ever expected. She supposes that in dreams, anything is possible. Even fake lucid dreaming... or is that really fake?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"A lot of my dreams are about swimming. Or having pancakes." Which is of course a great contribution to the conversation. Turning back to Emi, Small Lady comments, "All of that sounds really weird and complicated. How long have you been doing this kind of thing for?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:176|Emi Hoshino (176)}} has posed:'''<br>Emi smiles. It's mildly smug.<br><br> She has no idea how old she is, obviously, but she definitely has the sense that there's more to the kid than appears, and if anything else, she's used to feeling out of place.<br><br>"...you know what. I want pancakes now. I haven't had any in forever. So thanks for that." She makes a face, briefly, then says, "...I've been doing it since I was thirteen." She can't be much older than that as it is.<br><br>"But, you know. I get to do it every night so ... I pack a lot in."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's not fake if you realize you're dreaming without waking up! But she can't make that happen on purpose.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Swimming. "I find it interesting that you can breathe underwater in dreams. I mean, it makes sense, since, in reality, you're lying in your bed breathing fine, but it's still surreal to be like, standing underwater and like... yeah. A couple of times I've figured out I was dreaming ''that'' way, too, but it doesn't last. Too easy to forget you're dreaming." She nods to Emi. "Yeah, I guess dreams kind of... compress a lot of time into one night. And here I can only remember like, bits and pieces of what dreams I had, usually the last one before waking up if any. If you could remember all of them... and were lucid the whole time... I guess that'd be a lot of subjective time, huh? ...Even if it's not actually any faster than when you're awake, just ''feels'' that way... like, we spend a third of our lives asleep, so... that ''still'' adds up."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy smiles. "It ''is'' pretty neat to get to do something really cool every day, huh?" And she smiles as she looks down at one hand, and then the other, and cuts out another bite of cake with her fork, and chews.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Chibiusa Tsukino (270)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Since thirteen. Well, fair enough, Small Lady supposes. "I guess if it's on the nightly, that adds up."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looks down at her plate. It was empty a while ago, before this conversation even began. She... ''supposes'' Mamoru got his question answered, but... Something about it still nags at her.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So... for example, if someone were to visit here from really far away, like overseas or something, and if they had a dream about something back home... would you be able to access that or find it? Would being near the person be enough, or would you need to get to the place where they were from?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Also... another thing occurs to her. "Have you ever been to the dream of an alien? I know we have some of those around."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:176|Emi Hoshino (176)}} has posed:'''<br>"I guess," answers Emi to Amy, a hand going to her side in thought. "I'm pretty much always lucid, but time doesn't exactly flow the same. It's not minute to minute. Sometimes, dreams can seem to last forever, stretching on into infinity, and other times, it's like very quick. It's hard to say for sure and it depends on the dream. It's why I try to keep my eye on the clock when I'm asleep." Which probably makes no sense to them, but whatever. <br><br> Emi pauses at Chibiusa's question, then says, "Your dream is attached to you, not the location. Where you go, it goes. If you're here, and dreaming, it's where you are. On the other hand, like, I go to people's dreams directly, I don't have to go through the dreamscape, right? So theoretically, it mighnt be possible to forge a connection with someone distant and go to *their* dreams from far away, but I haven't done it. I can't even reach the people I knew in Kyoto, they're too far away."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:107|Amy Faust (107)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amy ''does'' furrow her brow at that turn of phrase. "But clocks don't ''work'' in dreams. Like, if I was gonna check if I'm dreaming, looking at clocks--" She looks at her communicator-watch -- which appears to be a normal calculator-watch when she hasn't flipped the top panel open -- then looks back to Emi, "looking at books, seeing if light switches work, right, that's all the standard stuff--" She looks at the watch again, then back to Emi. "nowadays, seeing if apps on my phone work too, and uh wow those have been a thing for a long time" she slumps her shoulders, "I'm dating myself I guess..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She blinks. "Wait, sometimes, I try to get to an app on my phone, right, and I end up in an endless maze of trying to find it on home screen pages, or getting into the right app but not being able to get to the right screen, is ''that'' dreamscape border stuff ''too?''"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Beat.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm sorry I got off-topic, continue."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She listens. "So if I dream about the house I grow up in, or the school I went to in America, my dreamscape is still ''here'', at my dormroom or wherever I'm sleeping over, I don't end up in the American dreamscape?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:270|Chibiusa Tsukino (270)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chibiusa glances down at the table... which actually means she's now looking ''under'' the table, and starts looking at her feet while moving them around. Amy's asking interesting questions, but Chibiusa's have already been answered.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Small Lady might have some idea as to why Mamoru would want to ask those questions, but it'd be worthwhile to talk in private about that a bit. There's probably a reason why he wasn't open about his intentions, assuming she even managed to correctly intuit what they were.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She picks up a cat that's sitting next to her and kindof in her way. She carries it for a moment while she scoots out, and once she's on her own feet again she places the kitty back where it was and pets it for a moment.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Politely, Small Lady bows at Emi and says, "Thanks for telling me these things. Your dreamscape sounds really neat, if also weird and scary."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then she excuses herself and starts to head upstairs.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:176|Emi Hoshino (176)}} has posed:'''<br>Emi Hoshino peers after that little girl. She just peers after her. <br><br>"She's kind of creepy, eh?" she muses to Amy before shrugging her shoulders. The goth turns her eyes back on Amy for a moment thereafter too. <br><br> "Right, your dream is where you are, in a manner of speaking. It's not like a one to one conversion or anything and I'm sure the dreamscape extends across the globe, but let's remember it's all just people in the end, and what we do together." A shrug of her shoulders.<br> <br>
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