Another Afterlife; CLOSED

[fellforit]

Ayano awakens, not for the first time, in a school.

The wrongness of it all hits her immediately. This isn't the school she's grown so familiar with, bathed forever in the light of sunset. Not even her appearance matches what she expects, her black sailor uniform swapped for a brown blazer-style one, and...

"Ahhh?!"

She springs to her feet, hands by her throat in her disbelief as she scans her surroundings in a hurry, feet dancing in staggering movements as she tries both to orient herself and search out the missing item. The uniform was a sad loss, but not nearly so significant as the missing scarf.

"Where is it? Did I drop it somewhere...?"

Worrying about her new location can come later. Right now, she's got to find that muffler, or else-!

Comments

[ends]

Although she is far from the first disoriented, confused soul to pass through the halls, she might be the first in a while to be so clearly stricken by the loss of an object specifically. It tells him one of two things: one, the girl may not yet understand her own fate. The second option is just as unfortunate, just as likely: something in her possession may have been worth her life.

Neither scenario leaves him an out to deliver good news, he knows. Though his voice never wavers, he visibly steels himself for the moment her face falls, she crumples as her body shakes with disbelief or sobbing, or she lashes out at him altogether.

Maybe he will become her enemy, too.

"Did you drop what somewhere?" A soft sigh escapes him, more from exhaustion than from her. "I'm afraid what you have on is all you arrived with."

[fellforit]

She gives a squawk of surprise at the sound of another voice, turning quickly - a little too quickly to see just who it is. Her gaze is definitely confused as she looks him over. He's not another of those possessed by the snakes, all but her should have passed through the Daze already - and not only that, but he's a person, and yet even more proof that she doesn't seem to be in the Daze herself any longer.

Just what is going on?

"I'm... I'm missing a red muffler!" She gestures again to her neck, where it should rightfully be sitting. "It should have come here with me-" wherever 'here' is - "and it's really important!"

[ends]

Until the end, he remembers maintaining his criticism of how harsh Yuri, Hinata, and the others were when explaining the world to him. It had been too much, too quickly, too lighthearted to match the gravity of everything they were saying. With nothing but endless time to create a better solution, he'd never found one. He squares his shoulders, moving one foot back, never letting his eyes falter. He'd had time to perfect his composure.

Too much time.

"If you're here, it means you're dead," he begins, watching her motion to her neck. "You're dead, and there's something you think you need to do. But none of us ever arrive with anything from our lives. Do you know your name?"

[fellforit]

She peers at him, wide-eyed. It can't be an easy discussion, having to inform so many lost souls of their fates. But it might not be so much of a relief to hear her response, not when it's...

"Of course I'm dead."

Matter-of-fact. She knows precisely what she did, and the consequences of it, and she knows exactly what she needs (or at the very least tried) to do. But this boy still seems to know more about their current situation than she does, which is why she quickly follows up his explanation with: "My name is Ayano Tateyama. This... isn't the Daze, is it?"

[ends]

"So you remember it," he shoots back quickly, never clarifying what he means. "We'll- discuss that later. Tateyama, people call this place a lot of things, but I've never heard anyone call it a 'daze.' I guess it can start to feel like one after a while, but I'm not sure what you mean."

He glances over his shoulder, keeping an eye on the position of the sun behind him. As it stands, there's still enough light to be fairly comfortable.

"Can you describe the muffler you lost to me? Do you know what it was made of?"

[fellforit]

There's a small frown at that, but she'll just have to bug him about it later. If this is some sort of afterlife, she'll probably have all the time in the world - it certainly seemed that way in the Daze.

"It's a red muffler, made of cotton." She gestures with her hands the approximate width, and then the length. "There's fringes at the edges."

Other than that... it was a fairly unremarkable thing. After all, it wasn't so much the scarf itself that was special.

skipping the "make it bit by bit part" in the interest of time haha

[ends]

With only a nod to affirm he heard her, he turns aside and slides open the nearest window, unceremoniously stepping through it. Quietly bending down toward the dirt, he gathers up two handfuls and holds tightly to them.

The silence that follows might be disconcerting, but he has no real sense of it. A minute passes, then another. All the while, the effect of synthesis beneath his hands is nothing short of understated, lacking sparks or magical flair. When he finally stands again to meet her eyes, he's clasping a red muffler in his hands. It likely isn't exact, the shade may be off, the fringing not as she might remember, but he holds it out to her all the same.

"Tateyama. Here."

[fellforit]

And out he goes...

She can't help it. Once he's outside, she clambers over and out the window too, watching with open curiosity that shifts to awe as a red scarf forms into being.

"I-It's really a muffler!" A muffler, not hers, but still quite close indeed. She reaches over to take it, holding it out in both hands as she examines it, feeling the fabric between her fingers and inspecting the color.

"It's not exactly mine, but... It'll do!" Is what she finally announces before wrapping it around her neck in a quick, practiced motion, the dramatic flair calling to mind someone out of a TV show. She even freezes in that pose for a good second or two before she lets it drop, tucking her hands behind her back.

"Thanks! You really helped me, um..." She trails off, realizing too late that she still hasn't even heard his name.

[ends]

Whether he smiles or not, he isn't sure. He means to, and the intent exists, but he can't be sure it came through this time. His eyes flickering away for a second and coming back to her is his only clear tell of emotion.

"Forgive me, people don't typically ask. It's Otonashi. And that was- quite a production," he starts, the smallest hint of a smile only just cracking through. Something about the way she dramatizes such an everyday activity seems so familiar. "It must really mean a lot to you if you're more concerned about your muffler than death."

[fellforit]

"Otonashi, then!" Her voice is bright as she echoes the name, though she's quick to laugh as he continues.

"Heheheh... I'm already used to being dead, but that's the first time I've lost my muffler!" She taps her fist against her head, like it was all because of some silly mistake.

"It's very important, though! I wouldn't be much of a hero without my trusty red muffler!"

[ends]

His own name sounds almost alien, sending an odd sort of twinge through his chest. Briefly, he wonders how much time had passed since he'd even heard someone else use it.

"You are- used to being dead?" Had he been failing her for days? Weeks? Months? His jaw sets as he casts his eyes down, wordlessly cursing himself. He can't fathom how he'd missed her, but whether she's toying with him, confused, or genuine, he can't dwell on. She's here, he'd likely made a mistake, it didn't matter now.

"And you expected to have it when you woke up. Answer this for me: how long have you been here? What do you already know?"

With another glance to the sky outside, he moves closer to the inside of the halls, motioning her over.

[fellforit]

"Uh-huh! I've been dead for a long time now."

Which may explain why she's so laissez-faire about being dead now. "But I wasn't here before." That's the confusing part, though she's quickly coming to suspect just what it means. Still, she sees the gesture, and she follows him as directed, looking about, trying to make sense of this new afterlife.

[ends]

"That does explain why you're very cheerful for someone who understands their situation."

Another thing that hits him with a wave of agonizing familiarity. She is not someone wearing the face of his first comrades, nor does she seem anything less than genuine, so he can do nothing but swallow it.

"If not here, then where were you?"

She had said something about a 'Daze,' but he isn't clear on the specifics.

"And hurry. Stay close. If you hear anything suspicious or see a flash of light or darkness, it's important that you say something immediately."

[fellforit]

"I was in the Daze," is her simple reply, a small smile on her lips - although not a particularly happy one. "I don't think it matters anymore, though." Not if she's moved on to the next place. There's no snake accompanying her here, and if that's the case...

However it happened, it seems she's failed in that clumsy, desperate plan.

"What do you mean by suspicious?" That part sounds important, and she obligingly scans their surroundings once again for any strange flashes.

[ends]

He knows the quiet melancholy behind smile like hers very well. He wore them enough himself, sometimes well enough for people to read them as genuinely happy.

"It depends on what that means. I've never heard of another place called the Daze, but as I said earlier, some refer to this place as a sort of daze." He's not sure yet whether she'll be easy to comb for information, or if she'll play him off.

"Thunder, either from gunshots, breaks in the environment, possibly breaks in residents. The sound of failing hardware. Anything that sounds like a system rebooting," he answers, as if these occurrences are typical. "Suspicious sounds."

[fellforit]

She shakes her head at that, at least. "It's not the same as this place. I don't think most people from there end up here."

A pause. Realization dawning.

"Otonashi... Is this where all souls are supposed to go after we die?"

Though she does take note of the sounds he describes, there's a bit more urgency to her question. His wariness screams danger, and if that's the case - and if something pulled her from the Daze, then...

[ends]

"Not all, no. Specific conditions have to be met."

In almost all cases, this has been true since his arrival, so he maintains it until he finds information to the contrary. The possibility of the world's deterioration affecting its parameters isn't out of the question.

"I will say right away that one condition is lingering regret. You standing here tells me that there is something you felt you needed or wished to do, that you couldn't achieve."

[fellforit]

Well, it wouldn't be wrong. Still, that brings a look of relief to her face.

"So if I don't find anyone else here, that means they were able to pass on without any regrets."

If that's how it is, she can accept that. In fact, she'd be happier for it, knowing that they were able to move on properly. She knows her own failures well enough. Instead, she'd rather be proud of the others for having no regrets to carry with them into the afterlife.

"And also... Doesn't that mean that you, too, have something you failed to do, Otonashi?"

[ends]

"Or that they were able to fulfill their wishes here. That is the purpose of the world," he adds, almost mechanically. There's an unspoken but in there that he never voices. Some limitations apply.

"It means that I am always here to answer questions for newcomers and aid people who need something to pass on. What I am other than 'student council president,' or whatever else someone needs me to be at the time, is completely irrelevant."

Never a yes or no with that inevitable question.

[fellforit]

"So they might have come here before me." An odd thought, but time isn't always as linear as people seem to think, either.

His other words, however - they aren't so much familiar themselves, but the tone behind them brings back memories.

She smiles.

"Ehh, then could it be... Are you trying to be a hero too, Otonashi?"

[ends]

"Are you looking for someone specific? I may be able to give you information about those who have passed before you." He motions for her to continue following down the hall, away from the windows specifically.

Her words hit him just as hard, more so than he could have expected. Nobody had ever used that kind of terminology with him. He has been a terrifying president, the object of some girls' unreturned affections, an enemy to isolate and defeat. He's also promised people better families, better homes, given them a friend, even pretended to give them the families they needed on a temporary basis. But a hero?

It doesn't ring true for him.

"I'm... sorry? No, I- will leave the heroism to you, Tateyama. Who knows- you may get quite a following and find that you want to take me down."

[fellforit]

"You don't think so?" Her voice rings innocently enough as she continues to follow him, the red muffler swaying behind with each step.

"But you're the one staying here to help everyone through their problems so they can pass on, aren't you? So in that way... You're saving everyone who comes here, right?"

[ends]

'No,' he thinks, but can't bring himself to shoot her down like that.

Of course he notices that Ayano's focusing on this rather than the information she could be asking him for, but jury's still out regarding if he's taken aback or exasperated by it. He still wears the distant, weary expression he tends to, but he speaks just that much more softly.

"They have to save themselves. I fill the roles they need me to fill and try to keep the peace. Sometimes, I do nothing worthwhile at all." Reflexively, he reaches to a pocket in his uniform coat in a quick motion, feeling for something there while an NPC girl meanders by. "Did you make the decision to be a hero? You chose the uniform, I take it."

They can talk about her, he thinks. His situation isn't changing.

[fellforit]

She watches as the NPC girl passes them by with open curiosity, but her steps don't stray from following after Otonashi like a little duckling.

"Of course I did!"

This is said with extreme enthusiasm. "Heroes are so cool, aren't they? They always work hard to save as many people as they can!"

Shockingly, this is a topic she is passionate about.

[ends]

If he was close enough to his manga reading days, he might have been able to contribute names of and references to some heroic characters. As it stands, he can only sigh in a way that's almost fond. At least he can appreciate the mentality.

"I thought you'd say so." Watching the NPC girl pass and listening in for any sound changes, he tries to keep the tension out of his voice and form. It almost works. "I think you'll be a great hero for some of the people that come by. You might even have an advantage. You'll probably know all my weak points and be able to disable me without much effort."

At this point, he expects to be the inevitable enemy.