"You know what stance I take on this. Whose side I'm on."
"Of course I do. That's why I'm making this decision."
"Even if I dissent, that won't really stop you, will it?"
"I'm afraid not. Please, don't take it personally."
"Hah! As if! But… if there was a way to stop this?"
Soul and Urbanity
Part 1: Chiaroscuro
1: Home, Shibuya
August 16th
"A month ago, fine, I get it. Two weeks ago, that's fine too! But it's been a whole month and a half now and you keep veeeery nearly walking into traffic. It's… a bit of an issue."
"Maybe I keep trying to wander into there to save myself the pain of talking to you."
"…and I thought the boss had some cold words to say about me." Tosai Furesawa and Shoka Sakurane stood in on the crosswalk of the Scramble, a place of inevitable grief whenever the ex-Reaper was involved.
"Look, I don't mean to say particularly harsh words to you of all people and I get you're just trying to help… but saying 'don't walk into traffic' is a bit patronising, don't you think?"
"I mean… sure, but you're the one who keeps doing it." Fret told her as they walked across the road, the lights having changed. He had planned to congratulate her on not slamming into every passerby like she used to by the time they had reached the other side, but held his tongue, not wishing to get a lashing from hers. They felt their phones buzz and stopped just outside Justice Burger to check what had just come in.
"Let's see here…" Fret murmured, swiping through the 'Wicked Twisters (I think a name change may be necessary, as ultimately we're out of the Ga' group chat.
_11:02_
Beat: yh I mean I juat
dont think I can make it
yknow
Neku: That's fine, man.
What's the occasion?
Beat: More talkign to
my folks about Rhyme's
schoolarship nxt yr
again
*talking
Neku: Sounds tough, man.
Everyone here has your
back, though.
Rindo: good luck beat!
[Fret assumed this was
one of those FanGO
stickers Rindo loved to
send. It looked like a
chicken? It was giving a
thumbs (wings?) up.]
Fret: Yeah man good
luck!
[Fret had seen Nagi and
Shoka hearted Beat's
message. Their way of
showing support, he
supposed.]
Beat: ayo thx everyone
_11:12_
Shiki: Sorry I didnt see
your message earlier
Beat, good luck to both
of u! ('-.-)
_11:25_
Neku: Outside 104 now.
Any of you guys close?
Rindo: yeah just headed
there from o east wont be
a minute
Fret: Just met up with
shokie a few mins ago
and we're juuust walking
from the scramble so
we'll probably see you
the same time rindude
does
Nagi: My apologies, I
understand this is last
minute, but I won't be
able to attend our
meeting.
Fret: Any reason, boss?
"It's rude to pry, you know?" Shoka chided him as they started walking again.
"Uh, yeah. But we've been planning this for a week now, you get me? And Beat gave his reason so I'm just interested, y'know?"
"Well don't blame me if you don't get a response." Shoka shoved her phone back in her hoodie's pocket.
Nagi: None I feel
particularly comfortable
in sharing, no.
Beat: sounds rough pinny
hope your doing alright :(
Nagi: Worry not. I shall
simply ensure I do not
miss our next meet,
whenever that may be.
Neku: Don't rake yourself
over the coals for us, Nagi.
If you have issues you need
to sort out, then we won't
force any expectations on
you.
Stay safe and if you ever
feel comfortable in saying
what it is that's bothering
you I don't think there's
anyone here who wouldn't
listen.
Fret: Yeah what neku said!
[At this point everyone in
the chat bar Shoka had
liked Neku's message as
what more could be said?
Fret wished he had half
his eloquence.]
"Ah, there they are." Neku gave a friendly wave and a small smile to the two approaching the group of him, Shiki and Rindo. Fret gave an overly-enthusiastic wave in return; Shoka simply sighed upon him doing this. Man, Fret thought to himself, it felt good to see everyone… well, nearly everyone (not that he blamed the others for not being there of course, but it did kinda suck) present for the first time in a few weeks. "Shikitty, Nekky, Rindude, what's good?"
"Will you ever just say 'hi', man?" Rindo pretended to be annoyed, but was clearly happy to see him and maybe moreso Shoka, who immediately beelined to stay close to him.
"Been a while since I've been called 'Nekky', but I'll take it." Neku chuckled. Fret suspected a story behind those words, maybe something about the Game he was in he seemed reticent to talk about recently. "And what's up with 'Shikitty'?"
"Eh, just something I came up with on the spot. Not bad, huh?"
"I've been called worse." Shiki smiled.
"Aw come on, admit it, you love it!" Fret, Shiki and Neku made small talk for a while whilst Shoka and Rindo talked in hushed tones in the corner, almost as if they didn't want the others to hear what they were saying. Fret heard bits and pieces, though, including something about Cony x Cony and a book? Maybe Rindo was just hiding the fact he'd grown used to gothic lolita or something.
"Aaaaanyway!" Fret raised his voice, causing the two lovebirds in the corner to turn their attention back to the main group. "What's on the agenda this afternoon?"
"Well, I think it's gonna rain soon…" Shiki looked up at the sky, a dull block grey, not even the usual lighter or darker shades of equally depressing clouds to make the sky look somewhat alive. Just… block grey.
"We could just go somewhere to eat? Shopping maybe? I dunno, but probably shouldn't be staying outdoors if Shiki says so," suggested Shoka. "Any ideas, Rindo?"
"Uh… well Neku was telling me he hasn't said hi to the Don since he's got back to the RG. And I mean, I didn't eat this morning so…"
"Spicy curry Don it is, then!" Fret's mouth was already watering at the thought of it. What was he gonna get? Fish curry? Chicken curry? Maybe the biryani? Fret's curry daydreams abruptly ended when he felt a hand on his collar.
"Come on, loser. You got so lost in that little world of yours Neku and Shiki went on ahead," so began another lecture from Shoka.
"Agh! Hey, could you please let go, maybe?" Fret struggled to keep balance whilst being dragged by his assailant.
"Sure, whatever." Her grip loosened and Fret regained his composure, speedwalking to catch up with everyone.
"Man… can't believe you guys went on ahead without the Fretster."
"Um, we kinda assumed you heard the conversation we had where everyone was like 'Yeah, no, curry sounds great', but I can never tell with you, Fret."
"Aw, Rindude, not you too! Is no one on my side here?"
"Absolutely not." snorted Shoka. At the front of the line, Neku and Shiki smiled at each other. They were clearly enjoying these antics, which admittedly made Fret happy. He wished Beat was here, though, he would've backed him up. Or maybe dragged him by the collar too, Fret could never tell with him. Though, curious about people who weren't currently there, Fret pulled out his phone and opened his messages.
Nagi Usui was not having a good day. She took some time to stare herself down in the small mirror of her dorm room and decided that, yes, this lack of sleep really was causing her to look continually more dishevelled as the days went by. What was with those nightmares? They were bitingly, terrifyingly real in a way she wished they weren't. They always began the same way. Shibuya in ruins, a crimson sky overhead and thick smog of much the same shade surrounding and choking her. The others… the Wicked Twisters… they were there too. She winced and grabbed the dresser in front of her. The most painful part came next. A great swirling black and red mass descended upon them from the skies, like a maelstrom ripping through the land like a force of nature, unstoppable and seemingly never-ending. They rushed into her, opening a thousand tiny cuts that burned all over her skin, beginning to strip her of her flesh and leaving raw, exposed muscle and tissue for the next wave of these creatures to attack. They struck her again and again, repeatedly tearing into her, feeling like a cascade of salt over the already open wounds or a hundred hot irons pressed against her all at once, burning and searing everything inside of her, acidic and sharp.
She felt her hands tighten on the wood, gripping it intensely now. She couldn't move. She could only scream and listen to and observe the screaming of her companions as these… things devoured them too. Erasure. That's what it was called. Eventually, she welcomed it. She would always come to. The black spots that signalled the end of her existence, the end to that pain. They came off of everyone – Beat, Neku, Shiba, Hishima… – and she wondered if maybe they welcomed that comforting non-existence too. Those orbs always meant the nightmare would end. That, and the laughter at the centre of it all, her death knell from the lungs of a man she could not see and from a name she could not recall. She always woke then, shaking, in a sweat that felt like icicles on her back and with tears that felt like magma on her face but ultimately thankful it was over. At least until the next night.
She was used to not sleeping, after all, EleStra events required 24/7 attention at all times if one was maximise efficiency and claim both the standard rewards from the questline and those from the rankings… but tiredness always seemed to take her now without fail. Even if it was only for an hour each night, that hour would eventually come and the horror would begin again. She had attempted to confide with others about this, her EleStra alliancemates, certain community members, and even 'experts' on sites online that supposedly answered any question you may have, and as much as she appreciated their tips for either having comforting dreams or staying awake all night nothing seemed to work. She wondered if she would ever stop having that nightmare, or if it would simply repeat ad infinitum for the rest of her life. Her phone buzzing on the dresser next to her soon brought her back to reality.
_12:10_
Fret: Hey boss! Just
wondering if you're doing
alright
[How bizarre, Nagi thought.
It was most unlike Lord
Tosai to ask a question like
this, one-to-one.]
Nagi: Most acceptable,
for the moment.
Fret: For the moment?
Nagi: Did I not state
before it was not
information I would
willingly part with?
Fret: Sorry boss just
worried :(
[Fret had sent another
of those childish
stickers he was so
fond of. A bald man
on his knees, begging
for forgiveness. How
apt.]
Nagi: Worry not. I am
quite certain that it
shall work itself out
in time.
Fret: I mean if you
say so
[Nagi could sense that
Fret was still uneasy,
but it was unlikely
he'd question her
any further.]
Oh one more
thing boss btw when
do you want my next
elestra progress report
[Nagi couldn't deny the
flash of excitement that
formed in the pit of her
stomach upon mention
of EleStra. Yes, having
a soon-to-be fellow
EleStraniac in her midst
was gratifying, even if
the game had not
proliferated to the rest
of the Twisters yet.]
Nagi: If it is acceptable,
I should think a
discussion at Hachiko
Café would be optimal.
Around 10.00 AM
tomorrow.
Fret: Works for me boss!
Hachiko cafe it is
Nagi: Splendid. Be seeing
you tomorrow.
"…if I even make it to tomorrow." Nagi sighed. These status updates from Fret, inbetween the nights that tormented her and the regular stress of university life, were admittedly something she derived great joy from. Seeing the effects of EleStra beginning to positively affect Fret was something she hoped would begin to happen soon. It had only been a month and a half after all, and the early chapters were rather slow, with the uninitiated such as he being unable to grasp their importance for His Radiance and their slow yet masterful interweaving of new gameplay mechanics inbetween scenarios… her mind was wandering again. She wondered if perhaps this early-game content was too slow for someone like Fret, so frantic and desperate to live only in the moment, refusing to dwell on the past or think of the future. If it failed to hold his interests, would he simply revert back to how he was before, hiding behind a happy-go-lucky mask, unwilling to peer from behind it? Nagi was fond of the Fret that showed his humanity. Would he really become that inhuman dweller of the light she had come to dislike once more? No. No creature, light or dark, could resist the teachings of EleStra, for it was a tale universal to the human condition. By the grace of His Radiance, Lord Tosai would learn to shed his mask for good. Nagi smiled to herself, feeling confident and revitalised, the bags under her eyes seemingly lightening a small bit. It was a late lecture today, beginning at One, but she'd surpass both that and the night to come that the teachings of EleStra be imparted tomorrow at Ten.