Heartfelt Adventure : Active Time Event Thread

[LevDa]

{ATE: Sleeping with the Fishes : 1}
{Dani : Ocean Depths Heartscape}

When Dani opened her eyes she instantly freaked out for a few seconds sitting at the bottom of the ocean until everything clarified: she has been here before. She used to dream of this ocean floor in the past while in Hawaii after trying to figure out why others were disappearing. What was odd for her was that this time, across from her, a figure she had gotten used to seeing was there.

“I am actually surprised,” Dani smiled a little “Someone else managed to make it down here with me… with us.” Dani leaving the last part implied.

“It… honestly has been a weird day or so,” Dani addressed Louis. “I mean, to be taken from where you live in Pennsylvania and just thrown into Hawaii is just… an adjustment. You would think everything would be normal but then more Earthlings show up and your view of the current world collapses.”

“I could not help anyone in Hawaii in the end,” Dani said softly watching the ocean and the bubbles appearing out of her mouth. “Just like what happened during the fight with the darkness just now. I guess Ashley in a weird way she was right.”  

[RhikoDemson]

{ ATE: Heartfelt Memento: Part 4}
~ Louis: Balcony Heart Scape~

"Shhh..." the young man whispered softly as he let her hand drop away, brushing his fingers through her hair where just before she'd bunched it beneath her grip, "You did everything you could, that's all that matters."

Louis held her there for a moment more before moving back a step to look her in the eye, "You did so much more than you ever needed to... and still you worry yourself over if you could do more? You saved me... wretched, despicable, and tainted as I was. You looked past all of the horrible things I'd done and saw the man who could still rise from the pits of hell. You stood up to your allies and friends, sure that your light would guide you and the hope for something better and chose to save me. You stormed the castle and weathered unspeakable horrors and nightmares that I wove in spite of you. I fought you every step of the way and STILL you chose to save me. What more could anyone ask for than a friend who would do that?"  

[Enji_Chou]

{ ATE: Heartfelt Memento: Part 5}
~ Kyla: Balcony Heart Scape~

cue: Our Sanctuary (Piano Orchestral Arrangement)

Kyla looked up at him, locking their eyes and listened to what he had to say. Louis recited a series of events that passed by her true notice so easily- it left her speechless.

‘Did I really do all that?’

It was hard to see, to look back and take notice of her actions in a different light.
Instantly, a nagging doubt pointed at things like- how she turned her “friends” against her- how she made them doubt and distrust her intentions. She gave them reason to think they couldn’t count on her. That she couldn’t follow through with decisions- that she could turn traitorous, that she was selfish and vainglorious or histrionic.
She said things that made them worry, scared or hurt.
She disappointed them all.

She wished she didn’t make such a massive wedge between herself and everyone else. If she could go back- would she have taken it back?

‘So...so.. no?’ No- that conclusion was too simple. They had valid points to make. They were not wrong either.

But...but- here she was.
Looking Louis in the eyes in the form she always..hope- he’d be.

She had to think... eyes going down cast a moment, blinking slowly...

“I always thought, from the beginning that the light made some mistake... I-I couldn’t possibly be here."

I'm expendable, acceptable to leave behind

.
It hurt to be with them, and lonely to be away, or left behind.
"- I didn’t want to think everyone was gone."

A mistaken survivor- I was supposed to fall first, not 'him'-

" I messed up so much... when I saw you... it hurt. It hurt to see you like that. Tell me- am I ... really a good person?"

Or am I playing Hero, a pathetic person with some complex- a delusion of something I'm not.

"Did I do all those things for the right reasons or.. was I selfishly fueled by...some sick self preservation of my own mental faculties?”

Someone once told her that's all kindness was; That there was no kindness. That everyone helped each other to make themselves feel better and perpetuate society. Civilization needed structure to continue and so sinful people “acted” good, but it was all produced by some inane selfish need to sustain their current livability.
There was no such thing as love- there was pleasure during procreation.
No such thing as friendship- there were allies towards a mutual livable sustainability.
There was no such thing as kindness- only the act to maintain ones positive livable environment by sustaining partnerships and connections of give and take.
Humanity was a heartless system. A system of numbers where it was acceptable to sacrifice the few for many. As long as society continued.
At first she refused, ignored, and or polightly disagreed. But as time wore on, that explanation revisited her like some night terror.

Propounded by the two extremes of beliefs in good and evil, verses nothing at all!

She hated this mindset so much...

She hated being an evil thing.
She hated being heartless thing.

She wanted to prove that neither was true- she needed some sign, something to let her know...

And so here you are.
What is it you feel?

“...I really – am your friend aren’t I? I d-don’t understand why it’s so hard to be sure. If I was a scientific mind, all the evidence is a suitable statement to prove this conclusion, so why is it not enough???” she clutched her hands to her chest as if her heart was some visible thing she could hold right now and look at.

“-I keep thinking I’m just playing a part. But I’m fake. I want to take you back with me, protect you, like you did for me, and make sure the darkness can’t do those things to you ever again. I want to make you smile. Is that a real feeling?” She didn't think nor want to put this on Louis, not like this, not right now, not when he was facing his final moments- it was again-selfish... but maybe from an outsiders view of her own head space, he could tell her. What did she look like to him? All those things he mentioned- was THAT - really her?

 

[RhikoDemson]

[ATE : Goodbye My Friend : 10]
[Louis biggrin awn's Heart : Station of Awakening]

Louis continued with dawn's approval, "You're kind, even if you sometimes try to hide it. You bring joy and laughter to those around you with your often cross-cheerful demeanor. You hold your friends close to your heart, and empathize with their strife easily."

There was a pause as he went from walking slowly forward to spinning around, walking backwards as she followed, "You're passionate... wearing your emotions close to the surface making you easy to rile up, but people trust you because it makes you so sincere. You're a bit innocent, but it isn't a bad thing. All the more reason people want to watch your back."

Louis stopped s they reached the center, standing up straight and proper, "And lastly- ah, do me a favor and close your eyes."  

[RhikoDemson]

{ATE: Sleeping with the Fishes : 2}
{Louis : Ocean Depths Heartscape}

Louis was silent, allowing Dani to get out her piece. She needed to vent, he would listen. He stared up towards the surface as he sat cross-legged, the distant shifting glow of the light showing the way up. As she finished he dropped his view from the sky to her, stating simply, "Who cares about her?"

He let the statement hang in the... water for a bit before continuing, "Not to belittle you in any way, but who cares about what some other b***h thinks? You're breathing aren't you? You succeeded didn't you? You saved me didn't you? The way I see it, those are all pretty impressive feats given how few earthlings seemed to have made it this far to even try and fight back against that thing. Who gives a fat rats a** about the opinions of this Ashley person. What I see is a girl who has a good heart, kick a** skills, and a REEEALLY creative personal space." He smiled, looking around at the underwater expanse while swatting his arms around briefly fluttering up off the sand floor like a retarded butterfly before sinking back down under the reduced but still present sense of gravity.  

[Kaegoe]

[ATE : Goodbye My Friend : 11]
[Dawn : Dawn's Heart : Station of Awakening]

Dawn followed Louis slowly followed Louis and watched him carefully as he gave his description of her.She shook her head hiding her face when he finished. Half of her wanted to deny what he said, but said nothing.

When he finished walking, Dawn unconsciously followed his former posture. When he made his request she blinked at him a bit taken aback, "Huh?" she said, "That is a bit of an odd request."

Though slightly hesitant, she obeyed with a loud sigh, "I swear if you leave or disappear on me, I will be very upset..."  

[RhikoDemson]

[ATE : Goodbye My Friend : 12]
[Louis biggrin awn's Heart : Station of Awakening]

Louis giggled, his only reply to her exasperated complaint, "Probably your most endearing trait..." his voice carried with it a mental image... glittering gold petals, "besides the grumpy face you get when someone tells a joke at your expense or the childish raspberries you blow at others when they poke fun," he stepped around her, his footsteps light chiming against the glass surface, "is that you are adorably-"

"-very-" he stopped somewhere to her side, his voice carrying to the empty space behind her as his presence remained at her side, the same glowing energy flowing through her mind's eye at the angle he stood.

What came next was strange and perhaps a great deal unexpected, but with a cheerful note, a singular word left his lips that might at first have left her perplexed, but what followed after, likely shocked and perturbed, "Boot," a swift but soft and playful kick smacked Dawn from behind as he spun on his heel bringing the top-flat of his shoe to meet unceremoniously with her buttocks.

"oh, so gullible."


And before she might turn to face him, he was gone. Scattering gold as all that remained alongside the echo of fading laughter.  

[phoenixianCrystallist]

{ATE: ’Til We Meet Again .:. 7}
{Bobbi .:. Station of Awakening}

"Oh, man," Bobbi groaned with a chuckle. "Behold my jealousy! Horses are my favorite real-life animal. Dragons are my favorite over-all. I’ve ridden a few times, but I never actually learned, it was always just 'hey Bob, there’s horseback riding trails where we’re going on vacation.' Got complimented on being an excellent rider once, though. Oh, man, speaking of big dogs and horses, let me tell you about Rosie. We got her when I was in third grade; one of our neighbors found her abandoned at a state park, hiding under a rosebush. Hence her name. She was part black lab, part we don’t know, but probably Shetland Pony. Big, beautiful dog, about so high at her shoulders—" Bobbi held out her hand to indicate the height, well over her head sitting, but about to her bottom rib while standing.

"She was the sweetest thing ever. If she got out of the yard, she’d run like the devil was chasing her if Mom or Dad tried to bring her back, but me or Steve? Nah, she’d just sit and wait patiently. She was a ninja, too. You wouldn’t think a dog that big could sneak up on anything, but she did it. Scared the crap out of people walking by. And, oh, she was patient. She’d just lay under the bird feeder, not moving for hours, until the birds got close enough and then, chomp, robin for dinner. She was in a perpetual war against squirrels, too. And, the one time she caught a squirrel, she was so proud of herself Mom didn’t have the heart to get mad at her. The squirrel was fine, though, just a little rattled."  

[RhikoDemson]

{ ATE: Heartfelt Memento: Part 6}
~ Louis: Balcony Heart Scape~

"Your friendship is real," Louis replied, almost chuckling as he gave a smile simultaneously lifting only one eyebrow, "You're anything but fake."

Louis took a deep breath, standing up straight and tilting his gaze skyward for a moment eyes filled with the light of the full moon shining down on them, "If any of it wasn't real, you wouldn't be here risking your life."

"You think so little of yourself, you berate and batter yourself with these hateful thoughts when the obvious is standing in front and around you like a mirror. They may still be like strangers at times, you bicker and fight, disagree and step on each other's toes, but your friends and comrades still fight beside you... they see in you the light you are still blind to. So, try to ignore that voice seeding doubts and lend an ear to those voices that matter. Those that value you for you and put weight in your life over that of your enemy's. None of them want to see you fall and neither do I. Even if some can be a bit coarse about it."  

[Enji_Chou]

{ ATE: Heartfelt Memento: Part 7}
~ Kyla: Balcony Heart Scape~

Ah- he smiled. Like catching a shooting star, his chuckle cemented so quickly into her memory like a missing piece of a larger file that was sorely missing it.

Your friendship is real.

-The obvious is in front and around you.
Ignore the voice of doubt.
Lean an ear to the voices that matter.
Those who value you for you?

Before she had even a moment to wonder if anyone felt like that, some faces came to mind- and some faces that for some odd reason seemed obscured behind a fog. There was a buffer between her recollections where that feeling came close- but not close enough…

She looked at Louis, seeing the moon in his eyes before following his gaze upwards to the same heavenly body. Here in this heart scape there were stars. She stared at the moon intently.

“…the light. I’m blind to...” she hummed, repeating what he said, the lesson finding purchase in the girls mind. Who was she to them? A mage- a decent construct caster- the record keeper? She couldn’t recall a time anyone asked her for anything beyond those things- But then again did she ever give them a chance?

‘ – even if some can be a bit coarse about it.’
Huh- why did Joe suddenly come to mind?

Since they arrived, Kyla recalled multiple times they did things together but she just- missed out on them. Those times when she did reach out- it came with such a knee jerk feeling of guilt inside. She wondered if Namine felt that way- guilty- guilty for inserting herself into a friendship she had no purpose being a part of.

Why did it feel so awkward- so bad, doing that? She felt like some intruder, trespassing on something that apparently was supposed to happen naturally. People would just…come together. Right?

‘Of the pieces of me that everyone saw- did they like what they saw?’ Well maybe? - why else would they do those other things? Why would Bobbi and James come see her- why would Kyle check up on her- why would James talk to her? Why would Maggie confront her?

Joe came back to mind again. In the fever dream state his face floated in a fragmented moment when she was most vulnerable.

She stared at the moon as if she could see her own memories play out on its surface in place of the rabbit making mochi.
“I keep feeling like I don’t belong with them.”

If the world would forgive her, let her step closer without this bite of guilt constantly panging her, constantly aching every time she tried... this anxiety, this guilt... she’d step closer to them. She’d come closer.

That voice. She’d... try- yes- she’d try. Here Louis was trying to help her, clearly- in his last moment he was trying to tell her something important and –dammit all she would listen!

“…this voice... it’s so loud sometimes. I feel like it drowns out everything. Everyone. Had you and Carbuncle not been there…”

-ignoring it. At some point she hand her hands back up, clamping over her ears, as if she’d could do it like that.

“…will I hear you again?” a loaded question. Carbuncle was there- and for a time, she shared her heart and head space with his encouraging voice. But he wasn’t going to be here for much longer was he? He was going somewhere- beyond that bright moon, beyond her reach. “...will I ever hear you again?” She hadn’t realized she was tearing up again. She thought her vision was just getting foggy, blinking away the fog so she could see the moon properly.  

[RhikoDemson]

{ ATE: Heartfelt Memento: Part 8}
~ Louis: Balcony Heart Scape~

Louis remained silent for a time, her last question hanging in the air before he responded, "If you keep listening to the voices of your friends and heeding the underlying kindness in their words."

"Like a single note, amidst a performance... their voices will create an symphony and mine a quiet part to the whole. If you listen closely, I'm sure you'll hear it," Louis looked out over the lake, another deep breath entered and exited his lips as a clear, golden note to the ears echoed from the piano. It's almost time. He returned his gaze to her, giving a small bow, his hand held out to her, "Kyla, may I have this dance?"  

[Enji_Chou]

{ ATE: Heartfelt Memento: Part 9}
~ Kyla: Balcony Heart Scape~

Her hands dropped again slowly, listening to his answer.
A voice among the symphony...
That was as good of a clue as she could get. But what did she expect- it’s not like he could be sure what would happen to him. This was something no one could be sure of- but, at the very least she could hope. Right? The girl followed his gaze to the lake once more. It was so beautiful... she wondered if he had always wanted to show her this.

And then he asked her something no boy ever had before in proper context.

Dance.

In all good honestly she had a moment of fluster, not from the gesture- it was harmless, but she wasn’t no fool so social cues. This was more then a dance- it was goodbye.

The moment was slipping... time was beginning to move, and so they should move with it.

She wanted to shake her head- pelt him with questions-
‘There was still so much I want to say! I want to know more about you! Who the real Louis was? Not just from the shattered fragments I saw of your past but- the things that made you – you.’

But as quickly as she thought that, things came to mind, descriptions gleaned from the moment they met, to the battle itself till now-

He was a man who stood up for those he cared about- that included strangers.

He was kind.

Perhaps too much, it pushed him to do and make such horrible sacrifices as his own expense.

He had a love of the lofty classical aesthetic. He liked the night sky, the moon and stars. He liked music.

He liked simple things like the glow of a camp fire.

He was a gentlemen, with a poetic fascination of stories and moral complexities.

He liked books.

...maybe she knew more about him then she thought?

Perhaps for now.. that could be enough.

Kyla’s hand was in his before she realized it had moved. There was a fleeting worry, the expected awkwardness of a dancing newbie- when it simultaneously donned on her- this was a heartscape, surely anything was possible. So she let him take the lead-
"- Alright."  

[RhikoDemson]

{ ATE: Heartfelt Memento: Part 10}
~ Louis: Balcony Heart Scape~

Cue: Ashes of Dreams (Instrumental) from NieR
Alt Cue: Moonlit Night from Death Parade

Louis took her right hand as his wrapped around her waist, he stood, left foot outside her right, right foot between both of hers as he gave a gentle push with his palm against hers, “Start with your right and step back.”

With a patient first few box steps, he led her into a waltz, the piano playing on its own behind them. He whispered under his breath, keeping the tempo for her as it became easier and easier for the girl to anticipate his movements, “...1-2-3, 1-2-3, good. Now, a turn.”

The former devil's vanguard gave a slight pressure against her connected palm as the hand on her waist gave the lightest of pull. With that they spun like waves rocking lazily in the center of the lake, three steps, three steps, three steps the world shifted little by little in their field of vision.

Phantom strings joined the piano as his actions grew more and more complex, yet like magic the steps came to Kyla. The semi-circular veranda became the whole of their dance floor as he led her into a promenade stance and cut a path away from the railing on a spiraling journey across the stones.

Shimmering golden lights drifted up off the railing and smooth cobbled floor while the music bolstered and rose to a crescendo. Each new glittering light left a mark upon the surface, golden like the embers left behind by ashes in flame.

A swift flurry of spins, fleckerl, telemark, impetus, whisk, and chasse kicked up the gold-leaf into a series of small tornadoes around the dancers before the two spun away from another, Louis' hand catching hers at the last second snapping the two to attention thoroughly shattering the illusion of the castle and its veranda, instead the two standing upon the surface of the smooth, calm lake, golden petals scattered about, reflected moon and stars below as above like a mirror giving the illusion of dancing in space. The piano still present, like them, hovering upon the water.

The music grew as he spun her back into a basic stance along his arm the piano and strings weaving and sewing together in their ears as the gold grew brighter and brighter. A lake of gold and stars... no, the shore was gone, the moon was no more, a sea as far as the eye could see, and there they danced.

And as the music seemed to draw to a finale, the two themselves were thrown into the final steps of their performance that no others but themselves would see.

His lead led her arms up into a spin like an ice skater, magic keeping her afloat as one hand of his rested upon hers to keep her steady.

The music blared, it flooded the senses with golden notes before at last drawing down to a halt as Louis grasped her hands, and drew her into a hug, her back to him so as he could no longer see the boy with a glowing gold outline.

They were standing upon a beach now. Hers. The warding ropes tired around the rocks. The small shrine and Shinto gates.

“This isn't goodbye,” he spoke but its silence made it as light as a whisper, “So... don't look back for me. Keep looking forward.”

His hold was kind but unrelenting, not allowing her to see him, “This isn't goodbye.”

There was a bit of a quiver in his voice, despite the strength of his resolve he was never very good at these things, especially as drawn out as this. His voice was weaker now, as though farther away, “Promise me. Don't look back.”

“This is just...” he let go, or perhaps more aptly, his grasp simply faded away. And in that moment, Louis' last words, “See you later.”  

[Kaegoe]

[ATE : Goodbye My Friend : End]
[Dawn : Dawn's Heart : Station of Awakening]

Dawn felt her eyebrow twitch, though her eyes remained closed as Louis continued his observation.

"Excuse me...?" she said with minor annoyance creeping into her voice.

The next moment she got the swift boot to her behind. Dawn gave a startled yelp as she went to her knees.

"That was RUDE!" Dawn yelled, turning to face Louis, while rubbing her a**. However, all she saw was the gold shimmer of him leaving, "I told you not to leave when I wasn't looking, JERK!"

Dawn sat on her legs, resting her head against the floor. The dancer was in the mixture of laughter and tears. She didn't move for several long moments as her sobbing laughter faded. Dawn let out a shaky breathe, as she sat back up. She wiped away her tears then looked up into the darkness.

"I promise, Louis," she said in a soft voice, "I won't forget...."

Dawn closed her eyes as she was taken away with a white light.

[cue: I Am the One (High Fantasy)]

 

[RhikoDemson]

{ATE: ’Til We Meet Again .:. 8}
{Louis .:. Station of Awakening}

Cue: Fortitude from Umineko

"Well, that's good," Louis let out a sigh of relief, "You can me worried there. Squirrels are impish little bastards but that's what makes me like them. We used to have them all over the yard and stealing from our bird feeders back home, I loved watching them figure out how to outsmart the traps and locks put on the feeders to keep them out. One was a genius I called, Batty- cuz he hung upside down to get to the food without actually touching the outside of the feeder to drop the cage."

"I had dogs too when I was younger, lots of them. My dad was a hunter, though I never quite had the stomach for it. The dogs though, my parents and family friends would call me an animal whisperer because I had that way with animals. Prolly came from practically growing up with them. When I was really young, I'd sneak out sometimes and sleep in the pens with them, all 5 of them curled up in hay filled igloo boxes with me. They're all gone now, passed away by the time I was 18, one of the hardest things I went through in my life was loosing the last two, a pair of sisters. I couldn't hunt because I couldn't bring myself to kill anything, but I sat next to each of them when they grew too weak to walk or eat. Carried them to the vet myself. Pet them as went to sleep. Carried them, limp, back to the truck."

Louis stopped, sniffling once was he looked away from Bobbi, brushing a couple tears from his eyes, "Sorry," he chuckled nervously, a sheepish glance flashing eyes rimmed red, "Bunch of memories coming back. Kinda hard when they feel so... fresh, you know?"

He sniffed again, composing himself, close observation revealing thin gold outlining the boy's frame, "There was something rather... unsettling about it. It seemed too unceremonious. With people there are flowers and funerals, overpriced boxes and elaborate speeches given by religious windbags while everyone stood around in black consoling one another. But they didn't get that. They were just animals to anyone else, but closer to me than most people were at that age, I called them my little sisters for god sakes because I didn't have any siblings of my own... and their final moments were spent on the open bed of a pickup truck while I tried to console myself with excuses that this was better for them than suffering. I hoped desperately that they understood, that this was something they wanted too, that I wasn't betraying them."

Finally as his eyes stared out into the abyss, tears ran down his face giving the streaks on his skin a clammy, unpleasant texture, "I'm so sorry," his apology had a vacancy to it, both aimed at someone else and to Bobbi, "I forgot. I forgot how important life was."