October catch-all!

[feale]

Who: Kasumi Yoshizawa + you?
What: this, that, and the other
Where: various places around the Void!
When: after her first sleep after waking up from the nightmare!
Content Warnings: nothing yet, will edit if need be!

1. home (merlaut apartments, beach)

[ In some ways, the timing was fortuitous. With sleep being a thing once more, she needs a place for it that isn't the floor of her senpais' apartments - and it just so happens that Akechi, having woken up again, has decided to make his temporary stay with Ren a more permanent one. It's for that reason that her first "day" is spent going back and forth from the apartment, finding whatever she can on the beach to try and make it more suited to her preferences, rather than the completely untouched look the detective had seemed to be going for.

By the end of her day, she'll have a much better setup in place: a wardrobe hung with a few of the different-colored uniforms from the academy mall, some usable pots, pans and other cooking paraphernalia in the kitchen, some vases with flowers, and a few other pieces of furniture and decorative pieces here and there. But if you find her anytime between the beginning of it and the end, whether at the apartment proper or the beach or on her way back and forth, she'll likely be carrying pieces back and forth, or perhaps standing in one spot trying to figure out what exactly she wants to do next...

Either way, she'll be glad of any help you have to offer, whether you're a friend, acquaintance, or complete stranger! ]

2. exploratory (mementos)

[ Mementos didn't exist in the Void before their nightmare. That's what she's been told, anyway. But they're here now, with the one major difference that going down into them no longer seems to transform her into Violet, no longer brings Ella further past the surface of her soul than where she already sits and whispers. Neither though are there Shadows haunting its corridors anymore - the tunnels are uncomfortably silent, apart from the thundering pulsing of a heartbeat - or any floors deeper than the first.

Still, as she moves through the maze, Yoshizawa keeps her rapier in the tight grip of a fist, red eyes scanning the area ahead of her as if she's waiting for something to change. This isn't the Metaverse anymore, and so her gun will be useless, nothing more than a toy, but a sword is a sword no matter which way you look at it.

If something emerges from the shadowy light ahead, she's ready. ]

3. apprenticeship (heavenly blanc)
(with ren)

[ Outside of her skills as a gymnast, outside of taking down Shadows in the Metaverse, there's one thing Yoshizawa is really, really good at doing: cooking. As such, she figures it's only natural for her to ask Ren if she can help him out in Heavenly Blanc from time to time.

(Plus, after the strangeness she witnessed in the nightmare, she's not entirely sure she's keen on leaving him alone with Akechi too often. Even if they do live together.)

Ren teaches her how to brew coffee, too; she's not great yet, not on her senpai's level, but she can at least make something that tastes decent enough that people don't wince when they taste it. It's a good start for her, and gives her something to do besides hanging around in places that seem like home but aren't, with no purpose besides existing.

Even if right now about the only stuff she can manage to make involves a LOT of meat and mushroom... Regardless of anything, she's comfortable in a kitchen, so visitors will find her with a smile on her face and a pep in her step! ]

4. wildcard

[ want to do something but don't like any of the prompts here? you can hit me up at denouements if you want, or just post something here! as new as Yoshizawa is, I welcome any kind of CR for her! ]

Comments

1

[bluecastleace]

[Call Iwaizumi new (he is), but there is something decidedly odd about watching a woman repeatedly pulling seemingly new pieces of furniture out of the ocean and lugging them away. On her third or fourth find, he finally approaches her, brow cocked, but expression otherwise flat.]

Can I ask, uh...what exactly you’re doing there?

[feale]

[ Yoshizawa is busy and distracted enough that at first she doesn't entirely recognize that someone is watching her as she sorts through the different furnishings she's found lying around on the beach. She's already obtained a few useful things for her new apartment and is considering a chair when the young man approaches her. Her brows lift, and she glances across at him, a hesitant smile on her lips. ]

My senpai told me that...

[ How is she meant to explain this... ]

This beach, lots of trash washes up here. But also some things that are useful for the apartments!

[ Another pause, and her smile shifts a little, feeling awkward and forced on her face. She's not good at this kind of thing. ]

I'm, um, I'm decorating mine, so I'm looking for some stuff!

[bluecastleace]

[Iwaizumi furrows a brow, observes some of the objects she’s collected. They all look to be in relatively good condition, but...]

You got those out of the ocean?

[Even though he saw her do it, it seems strange and too good to be true.]

Is that where people get everything here?

[feale]

[ She nods, gesturing at the area around them, littered as it is with any number of appliances and furnishings, scattered among the piles of trash. The appliances aren't much use right now, given that they only have electricity when there are storms overhead, but everything is in surprisingly good shape. ]

No one knows exactly where it comes from, but there's... so much trash in the water, and it just always washes up on the beach. Sometimes, there are really useful things. Senpai... Ren told me to come here to look.

[ There's a pause as Yoshizawa thinks over her words, an anxious heat in her cheeks. ]

I-If you want some help finding things, I'd be g- happy to help!

[bluecastleace]

[Iwaizumi shrugs, scowls a bit, though it’s by no means directed at her. He’s just new is all - very new in fact, which means—-]

I wouldn’t have anywhere to put it even if I had something.

[She’s mentioned apartments, but he’s yet to see them, and besides, how does one even go about applying for an apartment in a bizarre dream world that seems to only half exist?]

You said you got an apartment in this place? [He nods toward the chair she’d been scavenging.] That where you’re trying to take that thing?

2

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[Something did emerge from the shadows, perhaps she might have caught sight of his white coat as it reflected the light first, or the shine on his metal accessories, either way he's there. Mementos in any form is one of the last places he wants to be, but his need to remain informed outweighed misgivings. Besides, to shy away from the work he assigned himself would be cowardice. Can't have that.]

Do you know how to use that... or is it for show?

[She hadn't struck him as a fighter on the few times they'd spoken, honestly.. he wasn't sure she should be in here now]

[feale]

[ The glint catches her eye - whether it's the white of his coat or the shine of the metal, she can't say, but it's enough to draw her attention, her body turning toward the newcomer, rapier firm in her grip. A breath, and when she sees who it is, she relaxes her stance. ]

Kaiba-san.

[ Her usually-friendly voice is terse, laced with an unusual determination. This may not be the Metaverse, but it is still Mementos. She's more Violet now than Yoshizawa, even without her costume. As such, it takes a moment longer than usual for the smile to find her lips, but when it does, she answers his question with a firm nod. ]

I know what I'm doing, I promise! What about you? Are you safe here?

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[There's something a bit surreal about the image he's met with, to the point that he considers that Mementos might have retained it's ability to conjure up hallucinations- then again, it wouldn't have made sense for it to present him with a vision of someone he barely knows]

Mm.

[Giving a hum as his form of acknowledgment and greeting, in lieu of a prolonged exchange. She seemed different, hardened somehow. Perhaps her experiences last month were the source, but he had no way of confirming it.]

Safety is an illusion.

[Considering that things could alter over time without warning, you weren't really truly safe anywhere in this environment]

.. but I can manage.

[feale]

[ It's not something to which Yoshizawa has paid a lot of heed; she knows that she's different when she's Violet, but it's just something that comes naturally as a result of her confidence on the field. (And perhaps, in some ways, from Ella.) Being on top of her game in Mementos just feels natural, even if she doesn't have access to Ella's magic right now.

Which is why she nods in response to his statement. They haven't really investigated this new version of Mementos outside of the nightmare, and even if the Void itself didn't like to chop and change all the time, its source material in this case does it naturally, shifting with the collective unconscious. That makes it dangerous.

...Although it might also make statements like his dangerous, too. Especially if it's a thought shared by many in the Void. Yoshizawa's eyes narrow. ]

If you're going to stay with me, then stay close. We don't know what might be ahead.

1

[obsessiveness]

[ oh hey, now that's a familiar sight. izumi often finds himself at the beach to comb through items for his room, so he'll approach sumi, towel and a bottle of water in hand. can't go foraging for furniture without these. ]

You decorating your place too?

[feale]

[ Yoshizawa, naturally, has neither of these things. This is her first time foraging after all, and she's not really given a lot of thought as to what might help or hinder her in the process of doing so.

In fact, there's kind of a lot she still doesn't know about this place. She was barely here for any time at all (she thinks) before they were thrown into the nightmare; this is her first time visiting the beach outside of a brief stop there on her initial tour. She knows from Ren that she can collect things for her apartment here - he even promised to help her in doing so later - but... well, that's about it.

So a familiar face is more than welcome. Yoshizawa smiles over at Izumi, eyes bright and warm. ]

Izumi-senpai! [ She doesn't know his age, of course, but he is still a senpai, at least when it comes to the Void. ] I am, yes. I'm not quite sure where to start...

[obsessiveness]

[ he recently graduated from high school, so she's made the right choice! being called a senpai might have earned her some points from him too, given how he places a lot of importance in that certain dynamic...

and for that izumi won't be too mean to her. how wonderful. ]

Well, I don't blame you. We should be lucky we have a roof over our heads while we're here, but those rooms were missing a lot of essentials? This is one of the first things I did once I settled in, in fact.

[ he waves at her to come follow him to one of the bigger heaps, where assorted furniture are gathered around in a messy pile. ]

Anyway, you're going to need furniture and decorations. Lights too, even if electricity hasn't existed here yet. They can still be used for decor in the meantime, like... this.

[ he picks up a certain lamp and offers it to her with a completely neutral expression. what, it's a cute little thing. ]

[feale]

[ She nods. Her understanding is that the apartments weren't always available to the inhabitants, but that they also weren't needed. Now, with the storms and the need for sleep, having somewhere to live is important. And with how entirely empty her newly-inherited apartment is, she's going to need a lot of stuff if she wants it to feel like home.

The problem, of course, is how much there is, and how easy it is to get overwhelmed as a result. So she's not going to complain to have someone here who's not only done it all before, but seems willing to offer her some advice.

(Yet another reason for her to call him senpai.)

She nods, and she's about to respond to him when he hands her the lamp, her brows lifting and a warm smile forming on her lips. ]

Oh! It looks like Morgana-senpai. [ A beat, and then, with some embarrassment: ] W-Well, not quite. He's mostly black...

for akechi - includes p5r spoilers!

[feale]

[ There's not a lot available around the Void in the way of food. Or at least, in the way of food variety. There are mushrooms, and the various foods in the market in the cave, but apart from that, there isn't a lot, unless its inhabitants are willing to cook using the limited ingredients stocked in Heavenly Blanc.

Luckily for Yoshizawa, she's a good cook.

It's probably not the best curry she could make - there are some ingredients she'd use back home that don't seem to be available here - but what she ends up with is passable enough that she feels comfortable bringing it back to the apartments, sealed in a container for Akechi's benefit. Balanced on top of it is a takeout cup of coffee, piping hot and certainly not as good as what Ren could make... but passable enough.

It's with a trembling hand and a frown on her face that she knocks on the door. After all, the last time she saw him awake (alive), he was a cognition murderously working his way through numerous copies of Ren. If the cognitions they witnessed within the dream were linked to their own nightmares, like hers was, then... Well, she has questions.

Plus, she's worried about him. From what she's heard, there haven't been any major negative effects on his body since waking up late from their nightmare, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any mental effects. She's still dealing with the effects of the things she saw, herself. And to have actually died - again - there has to be some trauma there.

On top of all that, she owes him an apology, too. She takes a deep breath, squaring her shoulders as her hand falls back to the other in order to support the container. ]

Akechi-san? It's Yoshizawa...

[simulatio]

[Perhaps one of the most important things about his and Ren's relationship is that Ren understands that sometimes, Akechi needs time to himself. After everything that had happened, he needs that time more than anything, which is why he's remained in his (their) shared room. He's reading, but not absorbing, his gaze falling away from the page to stare blankly at the opposite wall.

The other boy's room is so busy, so clogged with life. Akechi's room, before he'd surrendered it to Yoshizawa as a practical consideration, hadn't had a single decoration other than the flower vase that Ren had put there. Ren's room is covered in flowers and signs that it's been lived in by someone who cares.

He hears Yoshizawa's voice, and for a moment, considers not answering. Perhaps she'll think he's gone out. But the concept of someone coming to see him is still novel enough that he gets out, out of curiosity more than anything else, and opens the door for her. His gaze flicks up and down, studying her before falling on the container in her hands.]

What's this?

[feale]

[ It's true that her apartment, the room that was Akechi's before, is already more decorated in the short time she'd had here than in the entire time he lived there. But it's nowhere near as filled with life as Ren's, at least from the few glimpses she's had of it. She wonders if it can serve in some way to soften Akechi...

But that's not what this is about, at least - right now, her focus is on the container she's holding, the one he's questioning her about. She offers him a small, awkward smile, holding the container, and the coffee balanced on top, out to him. ]

U-Um! I know you're still recovering from... from what happened, s-so I thought maybe you could use something to eat... I, um, made it myself.

[ Yoshizawa hesitates for a moment, holding the container out to him, a small worry crossing through her thoughts - what if he accepts the container and shuts the door in her face? It's probably a good idea to tell him the other reason she's here, isn't it? Another deep breath. ]

I-If it's okay, I'd like to talk, too...

[simulatio]

[If it's softening Akechi, it's not visible in his face as he stares at her with surprise. Surprise that's quickly masked with impassiveness, but it can't quite hide the wary confusion lurking in his eyes. Like if he looks at her hard enough, he might be able to spot duplicity in her face, a hint of mockery perhaps.

Ah, but then, based on what Ren told him, he does owe her an apology, doesn't he? Yoshizawa is one of the few people he truly doesn't openly dislike, and, well. Though he's loathe to admit it, she's one of the few who doesn't have reason to hate him, that he knows of. Objectively, it would be foolish to throw away an ally. Subjectively...

Deep down, there's that part of him who wishes he could have friends, even as he knows he's incapable. Even if he knows that he'll probably never stop looking for the ulterior motive behind simple acts of kindness like someone bringing him a home-cooked meal.]

Recovering from dying, you mean? [he says bluntly, opening the door more widely to allow her to enter Ren's room. Even now, there's a part of him that's too cowardly to try to claim it as his.] I don't need a bribe if you'd like to speak with me, Yoshizawa-san, but I appreciate the thought behind the gesture.

for ren

[feale]

[ There's been a lot on Yoshizawa's mind since they woke from their nightmares. The same can probably be said of all of them, of course, both her friends from home and the others she's met since arriving in the Void. But it's a lot; even the times sleeping since then have found themselves filled with the nightmares of the things she saw, of Loki holding Akechi's body like it were his own, of rivers of blood as deep as her ankles, Senpai's dead body scattered uselessly around, everywhere. They're images that she can't seem to pull from her mind, imprinted across her brain whenever her eyes close, a sick feeling in her stomach that leaves her waking each time feeling even more tired than when she went to sleep in the first place.

It's something she knows she needs to talk about it, and when it comes down to it, Ren's the person with whom she wants to talk, even if he's probably the worst candidate for such a discussion. It's for that reason that she heads to Heavenly Blanc when she knows he's due to be there, a quiet concern written on her face—

—and a breath of relief on her lips when she finds the place empty of visitors. ]

Um, Senpai?

[ Yoshizawa crosses the floor of the bar/café, moving over to the counter and taking a seat, just as she has at home so many times before...

...and yet so different. ]

I was wondering if you have time to talk?

[forethinking]

(Ren doesn't know. All he knows is what he had seen himself - Akechi dying before his eyes, only this time right in the open for him to witness. To hurt.

One of his biggest virtues is the ability to move on and take horrors to mold into something meaningful, so by this time, at least that had been solved enough so that he doesn't worry about it and rare are the times the image pops into his mind. He's fine now, so is Akechi.

They've moved on.

So when Yoshizawa enters the bar with anxiety riddling her expressions, that's not what he thinks of. Perhaps it's regarding the brawl she asked for him to deal with... Or even something else entirely. Ren's own expression matches hers in concern and he nods, pouring two cups of coffee and moving out of the bar to sit next to her, attentive as ever.)

What's troubling you?

some gentle p5r spoilers

[feale]

[ Maybe if she'd talked to someone about it sooner, the images wouldn't play themselves in her mind every time her eyes closed. Or maybe they would. This is the path she chose. Perhaps in an alternate reality, there's a version of her who isn't haunted by the bloodstains of more than one loved one, who isn't forced to fight against the fear and pain every time her eyes sink shut.

But in this reality, it's a possibility rejected, a strength found through friendship, and through Ella. She made her choice, and no matter how much it hurts, it's a choice to which she intends to stick.

The coffee is accepted with a small, grateful smile, and hands that are a little more unsteady than they should be. She takes a sip, letting the rich bitterness of the drink bring her back down, ground her, and then she looks back to Ren, a deep breath or two helping her to find her words. ]

In Mementos... you said that Akechi-san was killed by his own cognition, right Senpai?

[forethinking]

That's right.

(But even while he's patient, his eyebrows furrow at the sight of her trembling hands. Sure it could be traumatic to have seen him like that, motionless and dead on the floor, Ren himself covered in blood and God knows what when he tried to fix it. Perhaps that is it?

Ren himself still bears that trauma, but it's repressed, hidden in the back of his brain to make space for better, happier memories.)

1

[abeautifulgame]

[at some point, between the Merlaut and the beach, Damien catches up to her. while it looks like a casual thing, however, with him, just out for a stroll, minding his own business, and just happening to run into her, it's not. this is intentional. he owes her something, for what she did, during the dream. even if it didn't stick in reality, even if it's back to limping, now, he appreciates it -- and it gives him hope for the future, if and when they ever get their powers back in full, permanantly]

[he has no idea how to say thank you, though, which is why he's trying to play it cool. so, here he is]

Yoshizawa, wasn't it?

[he knows damn well it is]

[feale]

[ It takes her a moment, the dream still something of a fog over her memories, to recognize the man who has just approached her. When she does, it's with a smile, one that starts small and tentative and quickly becomes something softer, a little sadder, when she realizes that the Diarahan cast hasn't taken effect outside of the dream.

It seems unfair, and even as she offers him a small nod in response to his question, Yoshizawa finds herself promising Ella that they'll find a way to free her from the strange confinement the Void has placed on her. Not just for their sake, but for the others, too, people they can help with the abilities their contract has granted her. ]

Y-Yes, that's me! You were... Brenks-san, right?

[abeautifulgame]

[he waves off the formality -- if nothing else, he can at least offer her the use of his first name] Damien. [a beat] But yes.

[and another]

I was hoping we could get to know each other better, now that we're somewhere that's not ... [made of flesh? full of monsters wearing the faces of the people he cares-cared about? something]

p5r spoilers from here~!

[feale]

[ He's got very little luck in ridding the situation of formalities, if that's the aim. Yoshizawa is the sort of person who'll use them even if she's told not to - it's a habit, nearly a compulsion, for her to be polite to those around her who are older, or otherwise senior in experience.

But that's surely a discussion for later; Yoshizawa bows to him once he introduces himself properly, a smile on her lips. ]

Damien-san, then? My name is Sumire. It- It would be nice to get to know you outside of Mementos too!