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WHO: Minato and youuuu
WHERE: The town, the woods, everywhere in between
WHEN: June 3 - June 10
WHAT: Lack of sleep does some unfortunate things to people, it really does. ie punishments really, really suck
WARNINGS: A lot of this is just very, very dumb

June 3/4

[At first, he's just miserable. A night or two without sleep is doable, but really, really awful, and so Minato can be found mostly wandering, restless, especially late at night. Which is very, very unusual for him (usually he'd be asleep by now), but don't mind him as he stalks about the town with his hands shoved deeply into his pockets, occasionally stopping to yawn massively and lean against a wall.

He always ends up standing back up pretty promptly, though, no matter how sleepy he looks.

Weird.

Or he might come visit at some obscene hour of the morning if he thinks your character will be awake, almost desperate to talk to someone to get his mind off of this. He will definitely knock on doors at all hours of the night if he thinks your character would sincerely be awake at that time of night.

Please help him.]

June 5/6

[It gets much, much worse. Minato's wanderings are almost desperate now; lying down does nothing, leaning against things does nothing, he cannot sleep no matter what he does and it's starting to take its toll. He's definitely stumbling, staggering occasionally as if drunk, and if you try to stop him he may not even process that you're calling out to him.

Hm.

Worrisome.

It probably comes to a worrisome head when he's crossing one of the bridges in Bluo, feet dragging--and then sways, and topples right off the side, blacking out for a brief moment. Bye, Minato.]

June 8

[At this point he probably shouldn't be outside but he's here anyway, and he seems to be...talking to a tree? He's trying, but he clearly thinks it's someone he knows, and while his voice is low and slurred, he is trying to legitimately have a conversation with this tree.

It's probably a good thing he stopped to talk to the tree instead of wandering into the woods in this state? Maybe you should call out to him...

But he's definitely hallucinating, and only seems to notice if he's not interrupted when he stumbles, and knocks his head against said tree, startling back to himself abruptly with both hands clasped to his forehead.

And then he thumps his forehead against the tree again, this time purposefully and with plain aggravation.]

Anything on from that, forum

[It's a good day to get a private message misfire from #3630FF, right?]

youokfas form the [ifhshment this wkk ?

[... He is not okay, he should not be on his laptop.]

wildcard

[Quests? Other things? Hit me up with anything, here or via PM or

kalisona!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Minato isn't the only one that can't sleep, but it's definitely not for the same reasons. Elizabeth isn't cursed to being awake, but she's still having trouble sleeping. Everything inside may look like a place she has to call home, but now, it doesn't feel comfortable sleeping there. It's full of bad memories, since whenever she spends too much time inside, she can't stop thinking, and old events are put into a new context with what she knows of her home now.

So.

Minato probably wouldn't expect Elizabeth to be awake, but she's not really hard to miss. She's not too far from her house, but she's sitting on a bench with a candle set in a dish by her side. It's just a tiny bit of light, but like Minato, as long as she's awake, she's trying to distract herself. The book in her lap is a fairly large one, but more notably than that, it has color.

When she hears footsteps, she looks up from the book tiredly, but her expression does shift to recognition quickly. ]

Minato?

Edited 2018-06-07 16:47 (UTC)

[He actually does have to walk past her, and then backtrack. Even though she calls out to him, Minato kept on walking by for a moment--

Though then he processes, blinking blearily, stepping back to look at her properly (and stifling a yawn as he does).

They're both doing great at this late hour tonight, clearly.]

Oh...Elizabeth-san, hello.

[A beat.

He processes more.]

... Isn't it kind of late...? [To be out and about.]

[ minato... ]

[ Elizabeth's smile falters and fades as Minato just... keeps going... But at least he stops, otherwise she would be awake tonight wondering what she could have possibly done wrong for him to ignore her. But once he does acknowledge her, it does take long before she tilts her head slightly. ]

It is. But I could ask you the same thing.

[ She places a little scrap of fabric in her book that's meant to be her bookmark, so clearly this is going to take up more of her attention. ]

Are you all right?

[Right, yeah, he supposes that's fair. It's late for the both of them, and Minato just rubs at his face a little--and then comes closer properly so they can have a more polite conversation without him like.

Half walking away in his fog.

Up close he mostly just looks like he should be going to bed.]

Mm... yeah. Mostly. [More or less!! For now!!] I just haven't been able to sleep...

[Which sucks but is not life-threatening or horrible. (Yet.)]

Sorry--I didn't mean to interrupt your reading.

Oh— [ Her confusion turns to concern, and she motions for Minato to take a seat next to her on the bench if he wants. ] You're not interrupting. I haven't been able to sleep either, but...

[ Considering how he looks, it's definitely not for the same reasons. ]

Do you mean you actually can't? Or has something been keeping you up too?

["Keeping you up too"...? Minato takes that seat willingly (and gratefully, honestly), but he's curious as to what that means. Even exhausted as he is, he picks up on it.]

Oh... yeah, I'm pretty sure I actually can't. [Physically incapable.] I've never really had trouble sleeping before, so...

[...Ah well.]

Is there something else stopping you from sleeping, Elizabeth-san?

[ Her frown deepens a little, but it's only for a moment. Elizabeth nods, though thsi time, she doesn't actually hesitate to explain. She feels like at this point, she knows Minato well enough to not be nervous or hesitant. It's a big part of her life, even if she wishes otherwise. ]

Not in the same way, but... Yes. [ She glances back to her house nearby ] Inside, it- Well, every place inside looks like where I lived my whole life. My Tower.

[ She looks back to him and shrugs ]

It's... all I knew until Mr. Dewitt helped me escape. So even though it's where I lived, it's not very happy. Not now that I know why I was there.

[Huh... He can kind of pull some things from that. It's where she lived, but she was trapped there. She couldn't escape, until someone rescued her. And there was a reason that she was there...?

Minato frowns a little, tilting his head a little as he thinks.]

... Why you were there...? Was it--a bad reason?

[... He pauses, and shakes his head.]

Not that there's ever a good reason to keep someone locked away, but...

[ It's strange. It's strange to even be questioned about it, because when she really thinks about it, it sounds so impossible that it's hard to believe it even happened, much less to her. It's something from a story, and yet... It was real. ]

Because of what I can do. [ And then, more bitterly: ] Because of what Comstock wants me to become.

[ And it's really that second one that sends a shiver down her spine. Everything about the Lamb of Columbia, the Seed of the Prophet (gross)— She was supposed to inherit his legacy, and she can't think of anything she'd like less.

As she explains, she traces her fingers against the cover of her book: The Principles of Quantum Mechanics ]

I have this... power. There are distortions in the world where you can look through and see another place. Tears. Sometimes it's just like Columbia, but other times, it's a completely different world. But I can open them. If you think of it like a window, I open it so that you can reach through.

[There's a lot to unpack here. He doesn't really know who Comstock is, but it's pretty clear immediately that it's nobody good. Anyone who would lock up a young woman for some nefarious purpose is probably a Bad Man.

But...

Tears, huh...? Portals to a different world, in a way, that Elizabeth can reach through. It sounds fantastical and strange, but he also really has no group to say it can't be true, that it can't happen, with all he's seen both back home and here. So quietly, he nods instead, eyes fixed on her.]

... What did he want you to use that power for?

[What did he want her "to become"?]

To fufill his "prophecy."

[ She frowns more deeply, and by her tone, it's clear that she doesn't believe in that prophecy one bit. ]

Where I lived—Columbia—It's supposed to be a beacon of morality. It's absolutely not, but... Comstock still wants to spread that idea to the world. I'm supposed to be the person that takes over that when he dies, but that's ridiculous. I would never do what he wants me to do.

[ Which she realizes is vague, so after a frustrated sigh that this is even a possibility, she adds: ]

I'm not going to attack the "Sodom below," or whatever they call it.

[... That's a lot. A prophecy? Taking over? Attacking the world below?

Holy crap.]

That's... [So much? Have mercy on his very tired brain.

Okay, no, he's getting his thoughts in order, and:]

He never told you any of this...? He just kept you locked away and expected you to do what he wanted you to do?

[What the fuck.]

[ It's weirdly nice to hear how incredulous he is. She had felt the same way, but it wasn't like there was anyone to be witness to that story except Mr. Dewitt. And he was incredulous about everything. Elizabeth huffs, then nods. ]

For some reason, yes. I don't understand it. I don't want to understand it.

[ She shakes her head, then sits back as she forces herself to relax a little rather than get wound up. ]

That's-- Well, that's why I like it here. Even if it's incredibly strange, it's not Columbia. I'd rather tackle fire-breathing geese than be chased around by Comstock.

I see...

[It makes sense. No matter what horrors might happen here... it's not like that.

No matter what happens--]

In a place like this, you can make your own choices, right? Nobody's telling you what to do, or trying to.

Exactly. I was hoping that I might end up in Paris, but— [ She shakes her head ] It's fine here. Even with everything, um, weird that happens.

[ Elizabeth pauses as she tries to think of what to say, but with a laugh, her smile turns a little wry ]

No matter how many fire-breathing geese I tackle, it's definitely better than Columbia.

[Paris, huh...

He snorts softly in amusement at that comment too, shaking his head. It's better here for him too, but he's not going to elaborate on why.]

... Have you talked to Lupin-san?

[re: Paris...]

[ The wry smile turns softer, and she nods ]

I have. [ Luckily, she can guess why Lupin gets brought up fairly easily, so she continues after a thoughtful pause. ] He's actually one of the first people I talked to here, now that I think about it. We somehow ended up talking about Paris right away.

That's good.

[It makes his next statement make a lot more sense.]

I keep wondering... in a place like this, if it'd be possible when we find a way out to just...

Go wherever we want. I don't see why you couldn't go home with Lupin-san, you know? If he was okay with it, I mean.

[And then she could see Paris.]

[ To be honest, it's a possibility she's already considered. Elizabeth doesn't hate this place, not by any stretch, because even if strange and dangerous things happen, it's still absolutely nothing compared to Columbia. She knows to take this as a blessing, because even if she had made it to Paris, she's fairly sure now it wouldn't have lasted. Comstock would have come for her. She'd have to go much, much farther to be free.

...Like another universe.

However, the prospect of it being with Lupin out of all the friends she's made is just a little different. She laughs, but it's shy. She twirls her thimble around her finger as she explains after a shrug. ]

Oh, I mean— If he were, I'd like that. Paris has always been... It's just beautiful. Out of everywhere I'd seen, it's where I always dreamed of going.

[ And the shy part has nothing to do with Lupin!! nope!!!!! ]

[... Oh. He wasn't expecting her to suddenly go all bashful, and he wonders...

Well, Lupin's a pretty charming guy, right? Maybe that's why--

... He won't say anything about it, not until Elizabeth does. Not yet, anyway.]

I just feel like if we're in a place like this, where so much I didn't think was possible could happen... why not follow our dreams a bit more, right? There has to be a way.

[ It's a warmly optimistic sentiment, and even in sitting here late at night, trying to avoid going "home" again, it feels far away. She can feel a little hope swell in her that's an echo of what she had first felt when Booker had told her he would take her to Paris. The disappointment at it being a lie had tempered that kind of optimism, but here...

She nods. ]

That's what I'd like. If there's somewhere I could follow my dreams, I think it's here.

[ A pause. She considers the scene indoors right now, and she feels resolute in saying: ]

No matter what, I don't want to go home.

[He thinks she's right. If there's ever been a place where believing in dreams coming true is real, it has to be a place like this, right? Full of amazing people, and amazing situations, and so much possibility that he can't believe there's anything but endless possibility.

No matter what hardships there might be here...]

No matter what... I'm sure there's a way. Whether it's with Lupin-san, or someone else entirely, or just on your own... there'll definitely be a way for you to follow your dreams here.

[He has to believe that's possible, when even someone like him is here now.]

[ It's the kind of encouragement that Elizabeth is deeply touched by, and for a few moments, she's not sure what to say. How can she express how grateful she feels to have that kind of hope rekindled? She'd let it start to fade away after Booker's betrayal, so this is something more precious than she knows how to express. ]

Thank you. [ It doesn't seem like enough, so she adds (even if she's a little nervous at being this bold): ] I'm glad we're friends, Minato.

[ Minato is hardly the only person she considers a friend here, but he's the first she's actually used the word for. She sits back with a soft sound of almost relief before she continues. ]

What about you? Do you want to go home? Or somewhere else?

[Oh... that's incredibly sweet of her. Minato smiles a little in response, nodding; it warms his heart to hear her say something like that, and it's altogether too easy to respond:]

I'm glad we're friends too.

[(And in his head, as ever, the chime of a strengthening bond, the whisper of Judgment, Messiah's encouraging warmth.

He wonders, sometimes, at the fact that even after everything, even here, that still remains.)]

... But I have to go home. [He admits that almost... tentatively, but even so, there's a quiet certainty to it too.]

There's still something I need to do. So it's not really an option for me--well, not that it needs to be. [He at least amends that quickly, flashing her a small smile. But he made a choice, a sacrifice, and if he goes elsewhere, will the Great Seal still hold? He doesn't know. He can't risk it.]

[ Having the sentiment returned fosters a warm feeling in her chest, and she feels delighted in a way that would be almost comical if not for the underlying reasons. It's painful now that she had even had to have this dream, but how many times were her daydreams of leaving for Paris full of moments like this? Sitting on a bench with a—well, not a stranger in this case—and a friendship being formed. It felt like a faraway daydream to have friends, yet, here she finally was.

She looks up to the clear sky briefly with a smile. It's partially to hide her quiet glee, but just as much to just see the sky without Columbia in it.

However, it's brief, since she looks down again as he explains. ]

...I understand. [ And she does, because even with that moment of giddy freedom, his words do remind her of her pang going through Columbia at times that it should be stopped. Yet luckily, her pull to that wasn't so strong (yet) that she feels the sort of duty to return. But she can empathize with it easily. ] Well— When we do all go where we want to, maybe I can visit you? It would take practice and probably some study, but I might be able to.

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3 or 4 whichever

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i love this icon bc it's just [laughs nervously]

i love elizabeth so much, she's trying her best

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