2418/A Good Night's Rest

A Good Night's Rest
Date of Scene:	20 March 2025
Location:	Dorms #1
Synopsis:	Emi meets Setsuna, who was none too pleased to find her ducking medical attention.
Cast of Characters:	Emi Hoshino, Hinoiri Kirara

---

Emi Hoshino has posed:
Emi Hoshino is finally feeling better.

Let's be honest, it's been a journey to get here, and when you're as beat up as she was, in reality, you don't necessarily know how badly off you were in the first place until you do. While she can recognize this fact, she's very much going to deny it to anyone who asks. Its just like that.

And this is why she's started dream-training again, refamiliarizing herself with moving around the dreamscape as she naps in reality. She moves amongst colored mountains made of decaying dreams, compressing into something new, leaping from hold to hold with nothing but her webs to help and rousing plumes if prismatic ash amidst them.

More than that, though, she's mostly just showing off.

All the same, there's enough people paying attention to her now that she doesn't want to risk getting herself hurt, or missing something important. One ear is kept to reality in case, say, a Hinoiri should visit her or someone should text her. Did one of those clouds above look like a unicorn? Couldn't be.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was... not feeling better. She had a LOT on her mind. What he mermaid queen had offered her... Peace, in a way. Abandon her thoughts, her heart, of Sora...

Finally, after so much time... being free of it.

Was it really free, though? Or was it just... delaying the hurt? Pushing it aside?

... She wasn't sure. She couldn't say. How could she EVER say?

If she wiped out those memories... how many of them could she? Could she pick and choose? Remove the ones that hurt the most, the ones that made her think... Sora... cared about her?

... And should she do the same to Double Trouble?

So, she had sent a text to Emi after a patrol. She was a little battered, a little bruised. And well...

When the door was opened, her arms were crossed, she was leaning on the frame, and she just... slid in, closing the door behind her. And... "Do you mind if we have a little talk? Believe it or not... I'd... like to ask for your advice on something."

Emi Hoshino has posed:
PING.

Most of the options for Hinoiri's ringtone for are just a little on the nose and, worst of all, in English. While she has ... okay abilities in that language, she'd much prefer something in Japanese. And so, instead of anything else, her phone just ... pings.

With a deep breath, she rouses from her nap, checks her phone, and then takes a little time to prepare herself. When the door is opened, her mismatched eyes immediately narrow. Is *she* going to have to have a Talk with *her* about taking care of herself? HMPH. We'll see about that.

And then she says she wants her advice and those same eyes widen a little. "Well, it's about time you realized my advice is worth something," she mutters, shutting the door behind her and gesturing to her room. Take a seat, that gesture says. On the bed, in a chair. Wherever. Hinoiri is plainly not okay and the look of concern she's bearing, her words aside, definitely bears more than a little hint of concern.

"'Sup?" she asks.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"I got an.... offer... lately. Recently... you ummmm... how much have I told you about Sora? My mentor? The one who banished me?"

"... Well... I ummm... got an offer recently... to.... erase the memories of her. On the one hand... I like... grew up with her? So a lot would be lost. But... well... I almost destroyed the world when... when I found out how little she cared about me," Hinoiri said softly.

"... So it's not like... it's good for me to have these feelings. And... I think... I have it under control now. But... it still hurts when I think about her. And... well... my ex... who ummmm... I thought... who... said she'd cared about me before she... just... left... and..."

"... So... I've been thinking I might... take the offer. you know? Lose the.... hurt. But it feels... easy? Too easy? And... maybe... a bit wrong? Possibly?"

"... What do you think?"

Emi Hoshino has posed:
There is, in fact, a lengthy pause from Emi. She has no idea what to make of that. This is a thing that can happen? Well, one supposes that it could be, given everything else she's learned is possible. Slowly, she sinks down on to her bed, staring at Hinoiri and saying a single word.

"Shit."

No wonder she's ... not in a good way at the moment. So bad, clearly, that even she can tell. She puts a hand to the back of her head. "...you've mentioned that. Yeah." She licks her lips, skepticism towering over her visage for the time being.

"You know -- like ... there's a lot of fiction where people grapple with stuff like this? Like, whether its better to remember or forget," She tucks a strand of her long black hair over her shouldr and then sweeps her bangs out of the way of her eyes. "That's a lot," she finally concludes. Very helpful, Emi. You'd be a great therapist. She's clearly searching for her answer here, just yet.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "Yeah... I... I know. And don't... worry. I intend to talk to others, too. Just... I figured... well..." She glanced towards the wall of her room, the one dividing theirs. "... I don't want to go back to my room. I guess. So... I figured... why not have a heavy talk?"

"... But... yeah. For the longest time, I saw Sora as... my parent, I think. I thought she cared about me... loved me, even... but... I never realized... she barely even thought about me. Never even... looked... when I ran away... banished me from home... and I just... I don't want to cause that hurt again. And I thought... I'd just have to deal with it. But I'm better now. Maybe... I don't... have to keep hurting. If I wasn't wanted, that was.... that's fine. But I don't have to keep reminding myself of it, right?"

"... And well, for my ex... heh. I guess I was just kind of... replacing Sora for them. I made them the center of my world, instead. Heck, I even studied really hard in order to get a perfect 0 on a test, how silly is that? Just because she said I needed to stop working so hard on it..."

"... And then they just... left me. Maybe I just kind of... invite it. Maybe I'm meant to be alone or something. I just... now I'm avoiding my room, I can barely sleep when I'm there, and just... none of this is healthy, I know that. But there's a quick, easy solution. Just... forget the pain."

Emi Hoshino has posed:
Emi listens with sincere intent. She looks ... sympathetic, to say the least. And then when she's done speaking for the moment, it's down and away from her, chewing her bottom lip idly as she thinks about it.

"Stay with me tonight," she finally says, "You'll sleep better. I don't know why that happens, it just does. Her gaze stays down and reaches for the Baku plushy that sits at the top of her bed and then pushes it into Hinoiri's hands. "Do you know what a Baku is?" she asks. She was assuming she did, but she's now realizing maybe she doesn't. "They're mythical creatures, like unicorns." A slender smile tugs at the corners of her mouth before falling away. "When you have bad dream, you can call out to the baku to come take it away from you. You see, they eat nightmares. They're hungry, see? But maybe they won't just eat your nightmares to take away the fear and the sadness. Instead, maybe they'll gnaw away at your hopes, swallow your dreams, and who can say what'll be left of you at that point?"

She takes moment to quiet, to taker a breath.

"There are things I've seen that I'd love to forget. If someone offered me a chance to take them away, I can't say I wouldn't think long and hard about it too."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times and took the plushy. "I... admittedly... don't. We don't have anything like that," she said softly. She grinned down at it. "Thanks, though. We uhhh... supposedly there was once a guardian of dreams, an alicorn. But she... well, she was just a myth. We haven't had dream guardians like that in millenia. Only a few people can even use dream magic."

She gave the stuffy a little squeeze. "... And yeah... staying... here...? I think that'd be nice. Hanging out with a friend and all. And... soon... I think I'm going to talk to staff. See about... moving to another room. I can probably bully them into giving me a nice one with a stove again. It'd be... nice. I could cook. Have more space."

Then glanced around the room and... "So, where would I sleep, anyway? Also... how's it feel to be healed up again, back in the field? Happy to be able to fight once more?"

Emi Hoshino has posed:
"Yeah, you can stay here. There's a spare bed," she gestures towards it where it is buried under Emi's things. She's gonna have to clear those off if she wants her to stay, that's for sure. She rises to do just that instead of immediately answering, throwing things aside. Clothes, papers. Books. Thunk.

"When the Kami made the Baku, the stories say they took all the parts that were left over -- waste not -- and put them together to make it. An elephant's trunk with tiger paws and an ox-tail, with the body of a taipir." She smiles at the plushy in her hands while she goes for the closet to pull out a spare blanket and sheet to start making the bed, continuing, "I like to think of them as the last of the things made by the Kami under the heavens," turning towards her and pulling down the bottom lids of her eyes to emphasize her own mismatched parts. Is it any wonder she likes them?
R
"You know, you make an important point, and I think it's something you need to think about," she considers a moment, "You've tried t4o help me. You've tried to help me because...?" She's clearly got a destination here, she's just hoping she can walk Hinoiri towards the conclusion she has already made.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara couldn't help but smile as the other girl made space. Normally? She'd probably object... But, right now?

She didn't want to sleep in that room. To be... alone. To feel alone. To hope the door would open and Dee would walk in and be all 'surprise!'

"... Sounds cute, heh. And.. I mean... I think the answer is obvious."

"I am madly, deeply in love with you," Hinoiri said in the most deadpan, plain, mildly amused tone. Before snickering.

"Why wouldn't I? You needed help and I could help. Buck, you needed help in more ways than one. And a lot of people helped me when I needed it... So... I guess I wanted to be there when you needed me. It feels good to help people when you can. I... didn't used to get much help back home. So... when I can? Here? I want to be someone who gives it to the people around me."

"Guessing that's how you feel, right now? Helping people out there? Getting to be the big, badass hero of dreams?"

Emi Hoshino has posed:
"I mean it IS cute," she points at the plushy.

She picks up a couple books, continuing, as she clearly thinks Hinoiri will say what she imagines her saying, "Yeah, you see ---" And then the deadpan delivery of love hits and she doubletakes at her, eyes widening for a moment before it sinks in and she spontaneously hurls the paperback she's holding at her. It's not like it can hurt her, but it's the principle of the things. "Shut up," she tells her, pointing at her, then she clears her throat, grateful for the goth make up that hides her the embarrassment she's feeling.

"Okay, but how did you recognize what you thought I needed? It was because...?" She puts her hands on her hips.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara grinned and laughed a bit harder, holding up a hand and deflecting the book so it didn't smack her in the face. Might sting a bit, but not for long.

"You were limping, mostly," Hinoiri said. "You were definitely hurt and about to fight a youma... with a baseball bat. Magic doesn't work like that, you could have been hurt. Other than that? I don't know... trial and error. And... well... when you've made as many mistakes a I have? You learn what it feels like to make those mistakes... and what kinds of things would drive someone to make so many stupid decisions. And trust me... very few people are as experienced in making mistakes than me..."

"... Also, the smoking thing. It smells terrible. why you'd do that to yourself if it's NOT a cry for help?"

Emi Hoshino has posed:
"Ah ah," Emi interrupts, bringing her attention back a sentence from her smoking. She did scowl at 'cry for help' briefly, though. Clearing her throat, "I want you to repeat that bit about experience. What was that?" She begins making the bed. It's just a basic school-supplied bed, but it should be comfortable enough for Hinoiri.

"I like my baseball bat," she mutters, glancing towards her own bed, which it is under.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"Few people have as much experience bucking things up as I do? Not exactly the best lesson to take away from this," Hinoiri said with a light laugh. "It was how I did it in school, you know. They thought I was brilliant... which, I guess, I was. But I also... failed a lot. Between classes I'd read ahead. By the time class started, they'd only see me succeed on the first go, spectacularly. They didn't see the hundreds of times I'd failed over the weekend..."

She glanced towards the bed as well, but didn't see the bat. "Hey. I like bats too, they're great. I helped teach Loyalty to summon one. But a non-magic bat against a youma is a bad idea. Now, a magic bat? That's just perfect."

Emi Hoshino has posed:
"Now, wait a second," says Emi, holding up a finger in protest.

"Did those *f*uck ups," She emphasis the f in protest, "in any way help make you the person who helped me? The one who was concerned about me? The one who saw the mistakes they said I was making and wanted to intervene before I fucked them up too? And did that knowledge - did it come from the things that made who you are up to this point? Every step along the way, those experiences shaped you. Maybe without them, you don't see me. You don't help me. You don't help others going forward anymore. And besides, who's to say you won't just make the same mistakes differently without them?"

She lets out a breath and moves away from the bed so that Hinoiri can sit on it now that it's broadly ready.

"Look," she continues, "I don't claim any great understanding, insight or wisdom or whatever but when I go into a dream, I learn a lot about what makes a person who they are at the exact moment in time. The things they care about, the things they're afraid of, the things they love. All of that is etched into the fabric of every dream. Dreams and memories are bound up in each other."

Her eyes grow distant a moment, like memories of her own are tugging at her, an old hurt bubbling to the surface and then its gone, set aside.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "Yeah..."

And Emi... Emi had a lot more to say. And it made Hinoiri's smile grow a bit more. She... was right. She wasn't sure it was... what she wanted, fully. But... it was... right. And it seemed Emi was in the field of 'keep your memories'.

... And maybe that was right. But... she still wasn't sure. It'd be a while before she was ready.

... Right now, though? She just grinned towards her. "You know... you are a lot funner to be around when you talk and act like this. Rather than that fiction based 'totally rebellious girl' act you put on. I like the real you a lot more."

Emi Hoshino has posed:
"Shut up, I'm being serious. And besides, I don't know what you mean. I'm very much a rebel, Hinoiri," says Emi, solemnly, "Like, the biggest rebel of them all. I like leather jackets and motorcycles and stuff," she explains without realizing who that describes in any way whatsoever.

"That doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two about a thing or two, she lowers her gaze towards the floor for a moment. "I just, you know... maybe I can help you figure this out more in your dreams and shit."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"Oh? So you must really like me, then. Though, I should let you know... this isn't real leather. Actual leather kind of creaps me out a bit. I've talked to cows, you know. The ones back home? Sentient. So wearing one? Very creepy."

"... But thanks. You can be a rebel, like motorcycles, leather jackets, all of that... without forcing yourself to be something else. I like the real Emi Hoshino. And sometimes that means you won't be the big rebel... and that's okay. Because I like the side of you that isn't just a play by points copy of what other people say you should be."

"... How goes cleaning up the bed?"

Emi Hoshino has posed:
Scowling at her briefly -- Emi is deeply uncomfortable with compliments and they make her feel very shy, like someone is 'trying to put a wrinkly dollar bill in a vending machine and it's very frustating for all involved'. She felt very annoyed and seen when she saw that on the internet.

"Don't make me hit you with a pillow. Yeah, you should be good. I always keep a lot of spare sheets in case of bleeding."

Emi is very practical sometimes.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
"Eh, a pillow won't hit me very hard. Trust me..." And then she picked up a pillow and just WALLOPED Emi with it. "I'm a lot tougher than I look."

And she also hit a lot harder than she looked.

She snickered and walked over, sitting by her on the bed, before patting her on the head. "Thanks, by the way. I really... didn't want to be alone right now. Not... there. I really should just talk to staff about moving."

Emi Hoshino has posed:
As she is headpatted, Emi just sort of stiffens and stares at her, as if to say 'whwt was that???' She's again grateful for the way her makeup conceals her blush.

"You can stay with me as long as you like," she tells her, somewhat stiffly. "You'll get more sleep that way anyway. Speaking of sleep, I should get a cup of tea..."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara nodded. "Yeah... some tea sounds pretty good about now," she said, giving a yawn...

... However... No sooner would Emi walk off, turn around... and Hinoiri...

Hinoiri had fallen asleep, her head on the pillow. Now even under the covers. The poor thing was *exhausted.* Incredibly exhausted. She'd not been sleeping well, been struggling to sleep in her room, went out and fought late to avoid having to go home... was it any wonder?

Emi Hoshino has posed:
When Emi returns with tea, she sees Hinoiri sleeping, at peace. She grabs a spare blanket, drapes it over her, and climbs into her own bed to read on her kindle, letting the soothing aura of rest that accompanies her do its work.