[MU] - DECEMBER STORYTELLING / MEMORY SHARE

[lifeaftr_mods]

Something is wrong.

This may not very well be obvious, at first. The Storyteller is not present to put forth yet another diatribe, informative or apologetic, and the backdrop of guttering flame and sandy campfire is as present as ever...albeit briefly.



Those who tell their stories will start to notice something...odd taking place. Indeed, no matter how they intend to begin their tale, the land of Mu will immediately start to warp to accommodate it, or something utterly unlike it, until storytellers and listeners alike may find themselves in an exact recreation of a seemingly random memory, in the most stark and painstaking of detail. There is no altering the memory, nor is there any preventing it once it's begun to play - you will simply have to witness memories that are not your own this go around.

Furthermore, stories that take place in worlds other than LifeAftr will be, frankly, inevitable. Those memories, too, will be recreated, to be relived by the teller and lived by the listener.

---

It is time, once more, for you to tell a story...with a slight twist! This is, in fact, our first player plot, as provided by Dragon! The initial setting will be familiar for oldcomers, and newcomers will recognize it from the introduction they received in their dreams.

Yet for this Storytelling only, people can imagine whatever stories they wish, from both their homes and their time on LifeAftr, as long as they don't mind the fact that others will be reliving those stories in the form of an impromptu memory share.

Even those who prefer not to voice their stories aloud are not safe this time around. If the memory is recalled in essence, Mu will shift to accommodate it in full.

There is, however, a benefit to this: those who venture memories to be relived will receive both a befuddled apology from the Storyteller, who will assert that this was most definitely not meant to happen (they're the Storyteller, not the Rememberer!), as well as a tired promise that the relived memories will be worth two offerings each, as if in compensation.

Not that it counts for much, probably.

Comments

[daydreamy]

[ so hey

is it good if Kyouko just stands here quietly, holding Yuka's hand tightly in one of hers?

well it's happening, so get used to it. ]

[shineinside]

[ Yuka squeezes Kyouko's hand, as if reminding herself that she's really there. Contrasting the relationship they have now with the bitter memory of where they were not even that long ago pushes a familiar thought into the back of her mind, no matter how hard she tries to suppress it.

You don't deserve her. ]

...With the way things went... I never really got a chance to apologize properly.

[daydreamy]

You don't have to!

[ She says it maybe a little too insistently but the way she squeezes Yuka's hand in return is careful and gentle ]

That wasn't-- it wasn't your fault, okay?

[shineinside]

[ Kyouko means well, and Yuka understands that. But... 'It wasn't your fault' aren't the words she needs to hear right now. She turns slightly away, both from the memory in front of her and from the real Kyouko. ]

It's at least true that Diamond lied, and manipulated me to her own ends. But... I knew when I joined her that it would mean hurting you, and I did it anyway. Everything I said to you that day was my honest feelings. The fact that I came back in the end doesn't change any of that.

I know you want me to feel better about it, but neither of us can change the fact that I betrayed you. I need to come to terms with that and move forwards.

[daydreamy]

[ Kyouko purses her lips tight and for once, she's totally lost as to what to say. She's never really felt like that with Yuka before. It's always been as easy as anything for them to talk even right at the start and now that she doesn't know what to say, it almost frightens her a little bit.

So instead she just keeps clinging onto Yuka's hand, searching desperately for something to say. ]

I'm not... mad, you know? No matter what you did, I wasn't mad at you then and I'm still not mad at you now. So if you need... no, even if you don't feel like you need it, I'm gonna be there the whole way, okay? Just like always.

[shineinside]

[ Yuka knew that Kyouko wasn't mad at her. That wasn't what... well, what she thought this was about. Even so, hearing it makes her feel tired and relieved, like she doesn't have to keep putting on a strong face.

She leans against Kyouko for support, putting one arm around her. Her voice sounds like she's fighting to keep it steady. ]

I'm sorry, Kyouko. I let you down, and I broke your heart, and I'm sorry. I know you don't think I did anything wrong, but please just... let me say it...

[daydreamy]

[ Kyouko wraps both arms around Yuka as securely as she can -- if Yuka needs Kyouko to support her, then she'll do it for as long as she needs. ]

... okay. You can say it as many times as you need. You just gotta know that I'm gonna say I forgive you every single time.

[shineinside]

[ Yuka holds Kyouko tight, and lets her emotions out. ]

I'm sorry. I'm sorry...

[ There's nothing else she can think of to say, so she just says it over and over, crying quietly as the battle from her memories comes to a close in the background. ]

[daydreamy]

[ Kyouko leans in and presses her nose into Yuka's hair, trying very very hard from starting to cry herself. Just like Yuka, she'd been trying to keep ip a tough front but it's not like seeing this again had been easy for her. She means it when she says she's not angry with Yuka and no matter how much time passes, she never will be.

But that doesn't mean that it didn't hurt.

But now's not the time for that, when Yuka's already crying. All Kyouko can do is hold her, rub her back and murmur reassurances into her hair until she feels strong enough to pull herself back up to her full height again. ]

[shineinside]

[ By the time Yuka composes herself, the memory has ended, putting them back in reality. She steps back, sniffing and rubbing at her eyes. ]

I'm... [ She stops herself before apologizing again, considering how much she just apologized. ]

...I mean, thank you. I know I'm not always the easiest person to be with, so thanks for being so patient...

[daydreamy]

You make that sound like it's trouble for me to hang out with you.

[ She's trying to say it with a smile but it's obviously a little forced. But she's making the effort, at least! ]

I like being with you, okay? So even that times that're a little rough are way better than no Yuka-chan at all.

[shineinside]

Eheh...

[ This is a complex knot of emotions they're pulling at the edges of. ]

I really like being with you, I just... even when I'm not reliving old memories, I have days where I can't keep myself from having certain thoughts, no matter how hard I try.

[daydreamy]

Like what?

[ It sort of falls out of her mouth before her brain catches up and reminds her that might not be the best question to ask, so she follows it up with a hasty reassurance. ]

But, I mean-- if you don't wanna talk about it, don't feel like you've gotta just because I asked, okay?

[shineinside]

It's like...

[ She honestly doesn't want to talk about it, but leaving Kyouko to just worry about whatever she imagines it is is probably worse. ]

...Don't get mad, I know this isn't true, but I still keep worrying about it, okay? But you're so good to me, and you work so hard for my happiness... and sometimes I end up wondering... how much more time and energy you'd have for myself if you didn't keep fretting about me...

[daydreamy]

[ Kyouko doesn't say anything at first. She's certainly not going to get mad -- in fact, there's a sad, almost knowing little smile on her face. ]

Like... you feel guilty I'm spending time on you, when you think I should be spending it on me? Or, um... like you don't deserve to have someone spend that much time on you. Something like that?

[ she gets that. of course she does. ]

[shineinside]

[ That throws Yuka a bit. She had been expecting Kyouko to push back or reaffirm her feelings about Yuka, but instead... ]

Y... Yeah, something like that. Like, getting so much kindness after everything I did makes me feel like a burden...

[daydreamy]

[ Kyouko hums quietly in thought and then rocks on her heels, a little anxiously. ]

... did I ever tell you exactly why I got pulled into the Imaginaerium? I said it was because of my body and... well, I guess that's true but it's not exactly the full story.

[shineinside]

[ Yuka sits down cross-legged facing Kyouko, and shakes her head. ]

I made a guess when I first saw you in the Imaginaerium, but you never went into any more details than that.

[daydreamy]

[ Kyouko doesn't sit. She stays stood, moving around in that fidgety, anxious way of hers, the way she always does when she's unhappy about something. ]

So, like... I was kinda sick as a kid. A whole lot. I was always in and out of hospitals and doctor's offices and... stuff like that. It wasn't any one thing, really? But I was kinda weedy so whenever I picked up anything, I'd get really, really sick. And I was like that basically all the time. I think Mom even had to... either leave the job she had or cut down her hours a whole lot or something like that. I don't really remember, it happened when I was so small and she doesn't really like talking about it. But she had to spend basically all her time looking after me.

[shineinside]

[ Wow. After all this time, she never knew this story. She feels like she should have asked about this sooner. ]

So... you felt like your mother would have been happier if it weren't for you?

[daydreamy]

Yeah! Her and Dad too, honestly.

[ She's smiling, like she's trying to play it all off as a joke but the way she's sort of averting her gaze and not quite meeting Yuka's eyes makes it clear it's not really working. ]

'cause, Mom stopped working but Dad couldn't, really? Since, wow, being sick a lot is really expensive, who knew! And every time I got sick again, I felt like I was ruining everything for them because they were both gonna be tired and sad and overworked again. I started wondering if... maybe they didn't have a sickly kid like me, they'd be having a way better time.

[shineinside]

[ Yuka stands backup, takes a few steps forward and hugs Kyouko again. ]

I can't really say anything to you here without saying it to myself, too, so here's a reminder for both of us: The people who sacrificed for you did it out of love, not regretful obligation, and their lives are much better for having you in them.

Thank you for... being alive.

[daydreamy]

[ Kyouko hugs her back tight. Her hugs are always a bit on the grabby side but this one's a little more so than usual. She leans into Yuka a little and nods. Her smile's a little weary, but there's relief, too. ]

Yeah. Guess we've both gotta make sure we keep that in mind, huh?

... Thank you, too. I'm so, so glad I met you, Yuka-chan.