[Bond] Memory Mingle

[yearofthecat]

Who: EVERYONE
When: Day 53 Afternoon
Where: Aurora Lounge

[ The big screen in the Aurora Lounge flashes to life. Did you spend your tokens? Is it your memory? Is it someone else's memory? Come watch. Come share. Come learn intimate embarrassing details about everyone here. ]

Comments

[Bond]

[yearofthecat]

[ Kyou has received three tokens since he arrived here. He has gotten some of his answers from Isuzu--like his name and the fact that they are related distantly somehow, but she's not exactly the most forthcoming. He's been told quite bluntly that they don't really get along. So this is really his only other route.

His memory starts in a house, Kyou laying on the patio outside in what appears to be a school uniform as he complains about hating living in this house. But he quickly changes his complaints to himself and his inability to be nice to 'her'.

The companion he's complaining to inside the house tells Kyou maybe he shouldn't yell at 'her' if he's just going to regret it later. Kyou says he's not made for being social with people but the other person says he just needs more training. That for the sake of the person that will one day tell him they love him to keep working on it.

He jokingly says there's no one out there like that. His companion laughs and says what if there was. Kyou said he'd ask them if they were crazy. The conversation ends as a third person enters the house and Kyou hides but overhears that this third person is planning on picking 'her' up from her part time job because there are perverts running around.

Kyou has decided to pick her up himself and catches her off-guard in the woods near their house--and she proceeds to smack him in the face with her bookbag from fear. He gives her permission to use his name without honorifics and attempts to apologize.

She tells him she's sorry she hit him because she thought he was a pervert but that 'she likes him. She's always liked the cat from the zodiac. In fact, she wanted to BE the year of the cat. She wants to be friends with him.'

Kyou recalls the words of his companion saying "what if there is someone who tells you they like you" and gets really embarrassed before telling her being the "Year of the Cat" isn't a good thing before heading home, the girl close behind. ]

What the hell was that...

Cat girl? [Yes, she introduced herself as Chiharu but she will forever be known as Cat Girl to him and AFTER this? Yes, she's earned that name ten fold.]

1/2

[notafruit]

[ They...know each other? Just recently, if she's being told how to best address him, it seems. But... he came because he was worried about her?

Wait... that means she was going to return to his-- ]

2/2

[notafruit]

EHHH!??

Re: 2/2

[yearofthecat]

Yeah, that's about what I feel.

[He has questions. Specifically for Isuzu. Not that she'll answer him...]

Seriously though. What's the deal with cats?

[malignstar]

You really do have a cat motif going on.

[yearofthecat]

I don't get it.

[bluediligence]

[ She's technically got more than one token, and she's technically disinclined to share memories publicly after the last one ... But maybe one couldn't hurt? Surely? Maybe. ]

[ oh ]

For fuck's sake.

[schrodingerscockroach]

....seriously?

[Your life.]

You know, I think I can follow the train of thought for why you learned to kick ass.

[bluediligence]

[ Her life. ]

No kidding. [ Groans ... ] Ugh. Hindsight. I can think of all the things I should've done.

[malignstar]

So zombies are a thing in your world?

[bluediligence]

Maybe? I guess. [ She sounds so ]

[ so exasperated ]

[ so put upon ]

[featherbeaned]

[ There's a DRAGON loose in a PRIMARK ]

[ … altho, to be fair, the dragon is currently in her (mostly) "human" form, complete with veritable cloud of iridescent cotton candy hair. And no shoes. And boy's clothes that are definitely a size or two too small. ]

[ She's lost and looking for somebody she'd gotten separated from in the thick crowds, but mostly she's distracted by being so excited to be there. Look at all these cute clothes! Look at all these shiny new interesting things! Look at the escalators! She tries on so many hats, perching them awkwardly on her twitchy "cat" ears, and fills two baskets to overflowing with clothes she wants. And sparkly nail polish. And a sparkly sequin cat-themed backpack. And — oh! ]

[ There he is! On the floor below! ]

[ The memory ends with Meridian starting to climb over the edge of glass railing, happily calling out a name that gets blanked out. ]

I knew it! I knew I'd remember him!

[schrodingerscockroach]

Lucky. [He might be a little jealous.]

It looks like you're having fun.

[beeknighted]

[Huh seems like that would have been a handful]

Oh, you remembered me.

[malignstar]

Oh, you know Mao!

[notafruit]

[ She had been curious, earlier, after witnessing one of Kyou's memories what one of her own would be like. She isn't sure what she expected, but-- it does confirm that she had in fact moved in with him--

The memory starts with a phone call while at school. It's her grandfather, telling her that the renovations are done and she can move back home. For some reason though, it just leaves her heart heavy. She doesn't waste time once she realizes, however, and she packs to leave, having made sure to give directions for everything she's leaving undone.

It reminds her of a farther memory back when she was a child... called 'Fruits Basket'. All of the children were dubbed a fruit and called to run and play-- except for Chiharu herself. She was the 'riceball'.

. . . Riceballs don't belong in a fruits basket after all.

At least-- that's what she had thought. Her family is fairly callous and short with her-- it's clear that with the exception of her Grandfather, they don't want her around. It's a lonely feeling-- and worse when she finds out that her aunt had a detective look into her previous living situation. Her cousin insinuates that she must have done something indecent with the men in that house-- until her grandfather strikes him to everyone's shock. He explains that she should be happy and free to live wherever, but that isn't right either-- it causes her to break down. She's supposed to be grateful for what she has... and yet her heart aches, longing to return to the happy place she had been to before now.

. . . And when she finally admits it, the two boys from that very home show up... and bring her back home. Where she had wanted to stay all along.

For some reason... there are tears in her eyes at the end. Sniffling, she lifts her arm up to try and scrub them away. ]

We really did live together, after all...

((OOC: The Anime version of the chapter. It's super pretty so I highly recommend it especially if you wanna cry a little. Also just assume her name is blocked out/redacted/whatever. Only the scenes with her in them should be visible.))

[yearofthecat]

Well that explains a few things.

[A lot of things actually.]

No offense, but your family is kind of jerks.

Also, so is that gray haired guy.

Bond

[schrodingerscockroach]

[CAN HE JUST FIGHT YOUR FAMILY CHIHARU?]

[Because he wants to fight all of them except grandpa. Grandpa is cool.]

He's gonna be a terrible policeman if he can't even read a girl like you. [Glowering at the screen.] High and mighty jerk. [He has more colorful insults in mind, but he's pretty sure Tohru isn't quite an adult SO.]

[He huffs and looks at Chiharu and gonna reach over and pat her head.] At least you have good friends and grandpa.

[bluediligence]

[ She'd just been passing by, she hadn't meant to stop and watch … but, well. ]

[ It's hard to walk away from once she'd caught a glimpse. ]

Looks like you've got some amazing friends.

[bestbrotherever]

[Loki's been lurking and just watching others' memories, maybe making notes for future use, but this one hurts. Eventually he moves forward and approaches the girl.]

It is... difficult, when those who should be your peers cast you out for reasons you do not understand, and your family acts the same.

[thunderbeast]

[ Ah So this is how you regain your memories in this place. He's seeing someone else's for the first time and it's very emotional for her, he's sure. ]

It's strange that everyone gets to see this.

Are you okay?

[schrodingerscockroach]

[The memory starts out about as stupid as to be expected with the Reds and Blues. There's now dopplegangers who are somehow involved in some plot to murder Freelancer agents. The UNSC is apparently playing cover up with murder, and Church might actually be alive???]

[There's an underwater base, UNSC is apparently trying to cover up unspecified-at-the-moment shady shit Freelancer did, Tucker and Temple want to fight, and Carolina would like to for once solve problems legally and with media instead of murder. She's having a time.]

[Temple then says they can talk later and takes Wash and Carolina down to a basement.]

[Full of Freelancer corpses, frozen in their armor and Temple reveals the whole UNSC story is a lie. He's the one killing them all and plans to have his revenge on all who wronged him.]

[And he leaves Carolina and Wash frozen in their armor to slowly die in his murder fridge.]

[Because Dusk's life is Just Like That.]

[And the person watching this.....sure doesn't look like Dusk.]

[A whole lot shorter, a whole lot skinnier, there's a kind of scruffy teen whose staring at the screen in confusion.]

What kind of movie is this? Did I get a coin for a youtube preview?

[He's also holding what looks to be a chair leg. Just. You know. For reasons.]

[malignstar]

[ Felix is looking around for Dusk after seeing that disaster of a memory. (Though Carolina is cool as always.) He's not expecting to run into a teenager he's never seen before. Hadn't they just done the arrival thing? ]

Uh, it's a memory. What's with the club?

[bluediligence]

[ Holy fuck that memory ]

[ hoLY FUCK ]

[ ... But where's Dusk? Wh - ]

[ ... ]

Uhm, excuse me! When you say a coin ... do you mean that started playing when you put it in?

[wontforbidtherain]

[The first memory Cat displays is a short one, of being greeted by her adopted sister and mother with a serving of holiday stew (fish and potato stew with cranberries); the second is longer and ends with a big reveal about a friend of her which will cause Cat to glance around once she's done.]