and if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?

[assent]

CHARACTERS: Sonia Nevermind, and assorted others!
DATE: January 6th - 31st
WARNINGS: SPOILERS for Danganronpa 2 are heavy in here, but I will mark individual threads for it. Also cw things for violence
SUMMARY: Just putting all my log plans for this month in here! If you want to do something just drop a prompt, hit me up at serves to work something out or there are 2 open prompts inside!

Comments

OTA | Library

[assent]

[ There are three different reasons why she's found herself in here more often than not. The first, as it is, is just because it's familiar to home. Outside of going to school either at In Utero when will the nirvana references end or Hope's Peak Academy, she'd studied extra hard at home in the castle or in her dorm room too. They'd had a private library with an assortment of language learning tools, law, medicine, economics... the whole shebang. The library in Oska is a lot like that.

Secondly, as it had come up in conversation before she's picked out a book in a different language that is completely different to anything she's seen on earth, using it as a starter to try and decrypt the language and maybe try and learn it over time. There doesn't seem to be anything as a guide though, so on papers stuffed into it on the table, there are lots of notes where she's tried to figure out the words that are repeated the most. Part of the paper is hanging out though, in her hurry to rush back to her main "project".

The third, and last, thing is that she's dived straight into studying medicine again for all she's forgotten. On the other part of the table are sketches of anatomy. It's pretty detailed, along with a list of drugs and problems that match up.

Anyone walking past, however, will find that while she's standing up and staring at the papers--she doesn't seem to be taking much in anymore. ]

One more chapter... Then I shall stop.

[ Only even her make-up is starting to fail to hide how tired she is. Nightmares are pretty common for her, but they've been worse lately. ]

[winces]

[ the library has become one of olivia's quiet places of refuge since the incident with the time bugs, and so she has come to know it quite well. as far as she can tell, there is no discernible order to the placement of things (which may or may not have anything to do with the fact that she and the other recruits themselves had been left in charge of fixing things so many returns ago), but she has come to expect to find things when she needs them... whether by magic or sheer luck, she cannot say for sure.

tonight, she has no real goal in mind. heart too heavy to indulge in the romance novels she's come to accept as a guilty pleasure, and eyes too tired to bother with things much more dense, she has instead taken to roaming around the quiet aisles in the hopes that something else might find her, rather than the other way around. at her side, saffron walks by dutifully, but every other step is punctuated by a low, heavy yawn. still, they press on, until finally they find another soul there... whose drooping head can be noticed even from the end of the aisle.

carefully, eerily silently, olivia steps up right beside sonia. a gentle hand upon the young girl's arm signals her arrival. ]

I've used that line on myself before.

[assent]

[ Sonia is far too focused, even with her tiredness sinking into her body, pulling at her bones to make it harder to stay propped up. It's the reason she's standing over the desk to begin with, to avoid getting too comfortable in case her body finally caves. A library is not the right place for her to sleep, as if her nightmares come it will definitely not be a quiet place anymore.

Then again, with her surprise as it is ... it isn't that right now either.

She jumps to the side slightly, her hands moving to clutch over her heart and the words that come out of her mouth are not meant for children's ears (hopefully Aang or Sakura aren't in here jfc) ]

Fucking son of a--! [ She looks alarmed with herself when she sees it's Olivia though, eyes wide as she moves to press her hand against Olivia's arm instead. ] I am truly very sorry! You shook me by surprise!

what say you to setting this post dossier release... so Talks can happen...

[winces]

[ just as jittery (if not more so), olivia cannot help but respond in a similar fashion. jumping back enough to startle even her lion, who makes a low sound of protest when she nearly stumbles back into him, but sonia's hand on her arm keeps her steady. ]

F-Forgive me...! [ she is as surprised as she is confused... to hear such words coming from someone who was normally so proper... did she even hear right? ]

[unholey]

[Fugo's spent a lot of time in libraries. He likes them. They're quiet and full of books. The smell of ink and paper is one of the most comforting things he knows. And ALASTAIR's library is nothing short of enchanting. There are worlds worth of material here to learn here and there's a little part of him that's always itched to know things, that likes to learn just for the sake of knowing, just to pick up anything that looks interesting and swallow as much information as he can whole.

But that's not exactly a productive use of his time, given that they'll be going out on a mission sooner rather than later. So he's narrowed his focus down to things like economics, East Coast American culture, and viruses. Fugo passes by Sonia's table with a small but dense stack technical medical books on the last subject. He takes in what she's working on; notes her anatomy sketches, eyes restlessly flicking over her notes before looking up to her face. He recognizes her from her game on the network: two truths, one lie. An overall very interesting post to listen to. Sonia Nevermind.

She's talking to herself. But she's plainly very tired. The medicine she's trying to teach herself isn't going to stick with her for long. He pauses, fingers fiddling on the edges of his book, before he makes his decision. Before he speaks, he clears his throat to get Sonia's attention.]

Excuse me, but. Are you sure that's wise? [He shifts in place, shifting the weight of his books on his hip. It doesn't do much to hide his nerves, or the dark circles under his own eyes.] If your focus is waning, your results will be better after allow your mind a chance to rest and process what you've already studied.

[assent]

[ If she's honest with herself, there are a number of ways she could spend her time. She could have given into her desires to live like a normal girl and let herself be saved by those here more powerful. Despite her knowledge of weaponry and the like, there are always people stronger here. It's a matter of fact.

At the same time, her mind is too full of many distressing things now that she cannot get out despite how deperate she might be to do so. She has nightmare after nightmare, especially without her friends here and the fear that if she opens up to people here it will only make people turn away from her. It's irrational, in one sense. Two people have already put their faith in her despite her opening up ... but the nightmares still come.

Her eyes flicker up from the papers, though unlike him she's correctly applied make up so that her own tiredness isn't quite as visible outside of her eyes starting to flutter shut. ]

This is merely revision, I should be alright. Were you looking for something?

[ Unlike him, she never got a visual so has no idea it's someone she's spoken to before. ]

OTA | Forest/Lake

[assent]

[ The deep quiet is actually a relief after all the bustling of the party before, and how the halls are still full of life from the holidays. It's almost like there are few places for solitude, and this is one of the few left. She's brought her new katana with her, resting across her lap as she stares down at it.

It's actually heavier than she expected, yet somehow intricate all the same. She's used the knife before back at Perdition's Rest, but it had been sloppy. Something, one of the few things, she hasn't been trained for.

Tonight, she has no plan to use it, but she does want to get used to carrying it with her.

A few frogs croak and splash into the lake, and a few birds chirp as they skit from tree to tree. Quietly, Sonia holds out her hand with one of the hamster's seeds placed upon it. It takes a short while, but a bird does flitter down to peck at the seed. ]

You must be hungry... [ It's a soft whisper as she reaches into her jacket pocket, and moves to pick out another seed, holding it out for the bird to take another. ]

sometime after their disaster of a conversation over the network. also hi. /smothers you in my cr

[predomination]

[the closer someone gets to Urahara's insecurities and weaknesses, the more he intends to keep them close, one way or another. some people pull away when they're about to be exposed, but he prefers the opposite. it throws people off balance, you see- makes them wonder if what they saw, that flicker of openness, was just another part of his elaborate con.

of course, Sonia is aware on a deeper level than most how much of a con it is- that underneath this humble, badly dressed shopkeeper persona is a lethal weapon wrapped in velvet. it's habitual by now. even his closest friends are forced to endure the lilting, teasing, yet polite, parts of him.

honestly, it's not like that side isn't a real, valid part of him- his "light" side if you want to believe in that sort of dichotomy. it's just... not the whole and sum as he'd have people believe.

the point is, where he should have run after Sonia's little game on the network, he is doing no such thing, nor is he behaving any differently for it. he was in the process of examining the mist when he took a detour and found her here.]

I never would have thought "bird" was one of the languages you spoke, Sonia-san~ Though I should have expected that from a princess.

/is smothered /)u(\

[assent]

[ Honestly, she wouldn't know either way. She had kept a certain distance with her classmates until Nanami had been named class rep, and after that they'd warmed up to each other. Following that, Junko's lovely intervention had happened and Nanami was gone, along with their sanity. Sonia knows what it means to do what is necessary from her homeland anyway. A country full of terrorist attacks and war only offers a sanctury of peace in certain places. It's likely she'd already seen questionable things -- especially after being taken hostage by insurgents before.

She doesn't expect to see him here, though. Her eyes blink up from the bird, though her smile widens shortly after. ]

I would not say it is a "language" per se, more that they understand once you feed them once. I come here quite often. Before I left for Perdition's Rest I spent some time here as well.

CLOSED | Nami

[assent]

[ It had taken a few days even after their conversation on the network to bring herself to have the courage to ask Nami to meet her here. The hot springs had seemed like a good idea, as medically speaking they were good for relaxing muscles--though it isn't like Sonia's really had the chance to experience them properly before.

This is a first.

When she arrives she has a bag of way too many belongings with her. Her spare clothes, her hair products, her make up... in fact it probably looks like she's going on holiday rather than to a hot springs. She'd arranged to meet her in the early evening, before it would get too busy. Sonia has, as per usual, turned up 13 minutes early though, just as a force of habit.

When Nami arrives she'll see Sonia looking out towards the forest nearby, her hand over her heart, her expression worried. ]

sorry for the delay here gldjhgkfj i'm a disaster

[weatherscience]

Sonia-chan...?

[ when Nami finally arrives, rushing to make up for the fact she's a few minutes late, it is only to slow down at the sight of her friend, looking as though she carries the world on her slim shoulders.

(she, in direct contrast, has barely anything with her: a towel that she's already wrapped around herself, clean clothes to wear afterwards, a water bottle for dehydration — that's it. all fitting in a small bag.)

she calls out hesitantly, curiosity and concern mingling in her voice; Sonia has always seemed so cheery and strong when they've talked... this isn't like she's seen her before. the closest comes their time in the maze, the few mentions of her home. maybe it's that; maybe she's homesick. ]

sssh no apologies I KNOW THE TEACHER FEELING ALL TOO WELL

[assent]

[ Her gaze instantly snaps away from the forest when she hears the other girl's voice, looking over at her and then promptly looking utterly startled because of the way she's dressed. ]

Are you not cold?!

[ Look the weather isn't that good in Oska, Nami... what are you doing? ]

Please, let us step inside before you get a chill.

CLOSED | Arima

[assent]

[ At this point, the training room isn't new to her. She'd gone there the other day with Julius and he'd helped her with the knife. Today, she's testing out the new katana she received though she's still in the set up stage. It's hard to say what kind of level she will need to start with. Her instincts are good enough, body remembering more than mind, but her will power might falter if too many memories flood in the middle of the training.

The katana is still in her hand, still sheathed, as she stares at the activation panels. She knows it's waiting for her voice, but she doesn't know where to begin. ]

[prodigism]

[ Arima was on his way to the training room as well. He didn't exactly plan to run into anyone else, given his sporadic use of the place at random times of the day, but with his quinque fixed now he figured it was a good time to test its powers again. Making sure it was in working order before the next mission was a priority to him.

So when he happens upon Sonia again he'll give a slight pause before heading towards her. ]

Are you about to use the training room?

[assent]

[ She'd tried to aim for a time when many would be busy and would choose to not come here. When she glances back, her eyes widen when she notices who has joined her. ]

Ah, yes I had hoped to, if that would not be a problem for you?

[ She glances down at her hand where the katana is being held. ] I received this, and as I have not used one before... I thought it best to try it now.

CLOSED | Lance

[assent]

[ Her bones still feel cold and like hell from the day before with the snowball fight, having not been dressed appropriately enough, but it's after all of that she's come to realise she's put this off Long Enough. She waits outside Lance's door for over fifteen minutes, hesitating with her hand raised to knock multiple times by now.

It's a strange thing that it has been a long while since she's been this scared. Back when they'd been in the trial and Makoto, Kirigiri and Togami turned up and told them everything that had really happened, she had been terrified. In fact, leaving the Neo World program at all felt like an awful idea. Like they should just stay in here forever, live the Island Paradise dream and never face the problems they'd apparently caused. Staying strong as a group, the five of them together, was what had helped her keep strong to make the choice best for everyone. Best for the world.

None of them were here with her now. She had been awake long enough until those three had left, had the chance to see her friends in the pods while who knows what was happening to their minds, but not long enough to truly grasp or recover from everything that had happened.

It feels like she never got to say goodbye, just in case the others really never do wake up.

By the time her knuckles land softly on the door, she's almost crying already. Diversions work best, but guilt eats up at her nontheless. The fun yesterday can only last so long when it feels like a lie as well.

Her hand drops soon after, head lowering as she braces herself for the door swinging open. Clasped between her hands is a dried bunch of the mistletoe from the party, a red ribbon wrapped around the leaves to hold it together. The leaves rustle together as crisp as they are now. The magic on it has long gone, so that's no problem, she'd brought it here as a momento of that night for if he was still willing to accept her after what she's about to tell him. Her half is left on her dresser, wrapped in matching ribbon but ready to tuck into a drawer should none of this end well. ]

[competing]

[ decked out as he had been the day before in all his paladin gear, lance still feels like he brought half the snow from outside back in with him. logically, he knows he's washed all the chill out of his bones by now, but that doesn't stop him from still indulging in his fourth hot bath of the day.

that's actually why it takes him so long to answer the door, having only just stepped out of the bathroom a few seconds ago. on his bed, bud snoozes away happily, curled up in what appears to be a blue, knitted bed. he casts the mouse a quick glance before finally tugging the door open, his other hand still trying to dry his hair with the towel he's got around his shoulders. ]

—Sonia?

[ whatever cheer he might have felt upon seeing the girl is quickly replaced by concern, seeing how her eyes turn red from tell-tale efforts to keep tears in. his hands drop instantly, reaching for her. ]

Sonia, what's wrong? Are you okay?

[ he looks down at the bundle of dried sprigs in her hands, confusion clouding his expression. ]

[assent]

[ fourth hot bath of the day... someone clearly has Too Much Free Time.

Sonia barely lifts her gaze at first, though she does seem a little confused herself when her eyes meet with bathroom rather than shirt or jacket. Maybe, after working herself up to this, it really was a bad time after all?

Her mouth opens, hands clenching until little branches from the sprigs seem to start digging into her hands, and tries to lift her head enough to look him in the eye. ]

D-do... [ Her voice sounds a lot less guarded than it normally would be though, and mentally she kicks herself for it. Fear, however, is one emotion that can worm its way into your heart and grip on tightly. Somehow being abducted and held random feels less terrifying than this. ] ...you have time to talk?

CLOSED | Lucina

[assent]

[ It's been over two weeks since the ball, but Sonia hasn't forgotten her arrangement with Lucina. Sadly, she's kind of lost her sense of time while here. After studying too much about Graham's condition, studying about different medicinal things, trying to come up with a cover story for the new mission they have... things ended up being put on the back burner. She's just finished showering after being in the training room, when she notices her dress hung up on the closet and decides to leave Lucina a message. ]

Good day, Lucina. I hope you are well? I have not forgotten about our meeting, however I do admit I have been caught up in training while I have had the time. When will you be free? I would like to see you.

Sonia.

[heritors]

[ Time isn't supposed to be any different than what she has been used to, but she finds herself losing track of it more often. Maybe it's because here, there's nothing to work for — training, relaxation, and studying are all well and good, but they aren't necessarily time-sensitive, either.

The message serves as a welcome reminder. ]

Hello, Sonia. I have been well, thank you for asking — I hope our days here have treated you kindly, as well.

I'm available this evening, if you are as well.

Lucina.

[assent]

[ Sonia has been trying to branch out quite a bit as well, overworking herself to the point that she's collapsed in bed without changing some nights. Still, it's a good way to keep her mind occupied. As is this. ]

Of course, I would have ensured I was free if it was not the case as well. I have been quite well though, thank you. I hope it has been good here for you as well?

What time shall I meet you? Would you like to come to my room or shall I meet you at yours?

Sonia.

CLOSED | Julius

[assent]

[ Their meeting time isn't for another fifteen minutes, but as always her habit of showing up early is in full swing. Sonia doesn't even double check the time, and merely waits by the entrance to the training room. She's ensured she's gone over the information he gave her too, wanting to be well prepared so she doesn't let him down.

The only problem is that she isn't on her top form as she hasn't been sleeping well -- but she's clearly trying her best to be awake and as alert as possible.

When he arrives she gives him a wave. ] Howdy Howdy Ho!

[viscontree]

Hello, Sonia. You're energetic today.

[She's completely fooling him...she doesn't look tired at a glance. Julius greets her with a wave.]

Are you doing well?

[assent]

[ Make up does wonders, as does years of training to fool herself into thinking she's fine. They've got this. ]

I am quite well, thank you. I hope you are doing well, too? Did Reika give you the curry she took?

CLOSED | Graham

[assent]

[ The medical centre in Oska is somewhere she's visited, simply to see what is available. She wasn't sure what to expect when she first visited, but the technology is still more than she's seen before. It's just severly lacking in other ways.

She arrives fifteen minutes early, waiting for the door with papers in her hands with all the notes she took from Sieglinde, along with some of her own notes on what happened to her. She can't divulge all the details simply because she doesn't know the full extent of how it all worked. She just knows enough to compare to Graham's experience.

When he does arrive she'll glance up from her papers, offering him a small smile. ]

Thank you for meeting with me.