Mami realizes it immediately, because unlike some of the other sleeping worlds she's inexplicably managed to wander into, this one holds no elements that could have come from her own consciousness. She's never met Wakaba; has no reason to dream about Utena, a nice yet definite stranger; would not create this particular situation. No, this painful work of the mind is all Utena's, and that worries Mami deeply. The concern takes hold when the surprise fades, drowns out the small voice telling her that this is an intensely private piece of imagination she should stay out of, and sets her running toward the two girls. She transforms as she goes out of a helpless and hopeless instinct to protect, arriving at Utena's side in a flash of golden light and a rustle of cloth.]
[Utena does not immediately address Mami, too caught up in panic over Wakaba. She seems not to notice that their attire has changed: she is wearing her duelist uniform, and Wakaba appears to be wearing something else entirely.
She shakes her friend's shoulders, trying to get her to wake up. Wakaba is breathing, but she isn't moving.]
Wakaba! Wake up! [Her fingers curl around the smaller girl's shoulders, and she glances up, at last, to Mami. Her panic subsides somewhat, replaced by confusion.] ...Mami-san? What are you doing here?
[She doesn't answer, kneeling down; other than a curious flick of the eyes to the brand new clothes, her gaze remains trained on the prone Wakaba's face. She reaches out with her hands, which begin to glow a soft yellow, stopping just a few inches from the unmoving girl's chest. Her face is calm, yet intense mask of concentration. The usual half-smile is gone.
It's pointless, she knows. This is a dream; Wakaba herself is just a figment. You can't heal what doesn't really exist. But still, Mami tries. Maybe Utena's sleeping mind will acknowledge the good intent within this ability.....maybe....maybe something. Anything.]
[Utena stops her frantic shaking of Wakaba to watch Mami, and the bronze leaf in Wakaba's hair (it isn't a leaf, she realizes now. It's a hairpin.) shatters. But she is still very still. Utena bites her lip. She starts to talk, but it's almost babbling, brought on by her confusion and fear.]
I don't know what's wrong with her. W-we were talking, and she started saying these things, but Wakaba wouldn't say that. We're friends. I don't think those things about her...
[Mami carefully moves one of her glowing hands to Utena's arm without breaking her stare, giving a gentle squeeze. The other girl might begin to feel a little calmer- or she might feel nothing. Mami has no idea how her magic might work in dreams, on shadows of consciousness. Still, there's comfort intended in the gesture.
Her voice is as calm as her expression, a sharp contrast to the almost runaway quality of Utena's words.]
Wakaba-san.....she's a friend from your home?
[That much was obvious, but it might help to have some more light shed on the matter.]
[It's of some relief, the physical contact, but it's not long before Utena's worried eyes focus on her friend again. She reaches for one of the black rose petals scattered on the ground, and twirls it in her fingers.]
Y-yeah. [Her voice gets stronger as she continues.] She's my best friend. ...I haven't talked to her as much lately. [The duels she's had to keep secret, and Akio-san...] But we've always been close.
[Utena glances up again, begins to answer, but there is a strange and sudden movement in the deeper shade of the tree, as if the shadows are taking shape. The voice of a child, a small girl, emanates from it.]
It's not her fault. It's against the rules to tell. The witch said so.
[Utena's head jerks over to the shadow, and she speaks to it as if she's accustomed to this odd occurrence.] Huh? What are you talking about? [But there is no answer, for once.
Wakaba begins to stir, as if waking from a dream.]
[Mami's head snaps up, gaze darting to where the voice came from, to Utena, and then back to Wakaba again. She takes both of her hands back, the golden glow disappearing, and stands up. It had occurred to her that perhaps, this being a dream, any regret Utena might have been harboring concerning her friend could have been responsible for the earlier disturbing scene. If it had been brought into the open, even in this imagined world, maybe it would have been for the better. But now.....well, she can't predict what will happen next.]
Hm....I didn't expect my efforts to do any good, but....[focused on Utena now:] Tenjou-san, who was that?
[Utena gently sets Wakaba against the trunk of the tree, and brushes away the remains of the shattered hairpin. The shadow is standing now, but it does not have a clearly defined shape just yet. It appears to be watching the proceedings, however.]
It's sad. You tried your best, but in the end they made it go away. Everything you did.
I don't know. [Utena's voice is tight, and she stands to her feet.] I don't even know what it's talking about.
[There is a sound off into the distance, like a drawer being slammed shut suddenly. A rush of flame. The mist is heavier now, so much so that it's difficult to see anything further ahead. Utena begins to walk into it anyway. The shadow follows, slowly, but suddenly turns to Mami, and seems to tilt its head.]
We're going to the Ends of the World. Would you like to come?
[Her concern spikes at the sound, the fire, the worsening fog. The way Utena gets up and starts to wander into it. Blind, without thought or regard.....that strikes a chord in Mami, ringing deep and unpleasant. The behavior is too much like that exhibited by the poor souls kissed by a Witch, walked into madness and utter doom.]
Tenjou-san?....Tenjou-san!
[She cuts her eyes at the shadow, mouth drawn into a tight thin line. In another, brighter flash of gold, two muskets materialize from nothing to fill her hands. Considering that answer enough, Mami quickly follows after Utena, sparing Wakaba only a single glance. It's just what she had feared might happen; the dream is not only changing, it's growing worse.]
[The shadow watches Mami as impassively as a shadow can manage, and follows behind Utena. Right before the figure disappears in the fog, there are flashes of it gaining a more distinct shape -- a pair of penny loafers on its feet, girls' white stockings, one hanging slightly below the other.
When Utena stops, the fog seems to clear around her, but it is still difficult to see much at all. A bird flutters by her, disappears into the mist. She frowns, and rubs the back of her head. When she turns to face Mami, there is a white rose on her chest, one that wasn't there before.]
It's weird, this fog. It's never like this on campus. I wonder what's going on.
[The shadow moves to stand beside Mami, and whispers, low:] Be careful.
[Mami spares the shadow a glance, gaze softening only a touch. She doesn't trust it, but she'll take the warning; this dream is unfamiliar territory, obviously prone to shifting on whatever strange and unseen whims drive it. Mami lifts up her muskets, eyes scanning the mist. Her body is coiled tight like a wire and ready to spring into action- whether that means to fight or flee. This may be just a dream, but there's some reason- some force, some magic -behind why its possible for Mami to even exist here....so who knows how else she might be affected?
A few wary, careful steps toward Utena. But not too close.]
That's because this isn't your school campus, Tenjou-san. [quietly, trailing off in thought:] But I suppose it's only natural for you not to realize....
But it is. [The shadow's voice is clear and crisp in the silence, and her pink hair trails behind her. She sounds sad.] It's awful, isn't it? They'll never get out.
[The fog clears enough to show two shadowed girls in the distance, one kneeling before the other. In the blink of an eye, it changes. The kneeling figure screams, as if in intense pain, as the other tears what appears to be a sword out of her chest.
[This time, Mami doesn't waste her breath calling out for Utena to stop. It didn't work before- why would it work now? The recklessness would be irritating in this situation if Mami had room for such feelings. But no, now there's neither time nor space for anything but reflexes and battle prowess.
Instead her teeth grit, just a fraction, and Mami slams one of her muskets barrel-first into the ground. With her freed hand, she pulls out the yellow ribbon tied in a bow around her neck in a single snap of the wrist. The next instant has Mami whipping the ribbon at Utena; the ridiculous gesture would seem out of place in this dark, disturbing dream if not for how the cloth stretches out at a rapid speed. It becomes bigger, thicker, snapping out in a bid to entangle Utena and bind her fast around the waist- drag her back from that chilling scene ahead.]
[The ribbons tie around Utena and drag her backward as intended, but not without a struggle, futile as it is. She throws Mami an accusatory look over her shoulder, and desperately tries to escape her bonds. It doesn't do much, however -- for all the power she gains from duels, she has little defense against this brand of magic.]
Let me go! She's in trouble!
[The little shadow sits down daintily, clumsily smooths out the wrinkles in her clothing.] They're all in a lot of trouble. She's right.
[The figure with the sword seems alerted by all the commotion, and begins to make her way toward them.]
Mami realizes it immediately, because unlike some of the other sleeping worlds she's inexplicably managed to wander into, this one holds no elements that could have come from her own consciousness. She's never met Wakaba; has no reason to dream about Utena, a nice yet definite stranger; would not create this particular situation. No, this painful work of the mind is all Utena's, and that worries Mami deeply. The concern takes hold when the surprise fades, drowns out the small voice telling her that this is an intensely private piece of imagination she should stay out of, and sets her running toward the two girls. She transforms as she goes out of a helpless and hopeless instinct to protect, arriving at Utena's side in a flash of golden light and a rustle of cloth.]
....Tenjou-san.
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She shakes her friend's shoulders, trying to get her to wake up. Wakaba is breathing, but she isn't moving.]
Wakaba! Wake up! [Her fingers curl around the smaller girl's shoulders, and she glances up, at last, to Mami. Her panic subsides somewhat, replaced by confusion.] ...Mami-san? What are you doing here?
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It's pointless, she knows. This is a dream; Wakaba herself is just a figment. You can't heal what doesn't really exist. But still, Mami tries. Maybe Utena's sleeping mind will acknowledge the good intent within this ability.....maybe....maybe something. Anything.]
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I don't know what's wrong with her. W-we were talking, and she started saying these things, but Wakaba wouldn't say that. We're friends. I don't think those things about her...
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Her voice is as calm as her expression, a sharp contrast to the almost runaway quality of Utena's words.]
Wakaba-san.....she's a friend from your home?
[That much was obvious, but it might help to have some more light shed on the matter.]
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Y-yeah. [Her voice gets stronger as she continues.] She's my best friend. ...I haven't talked to her as much lately. [The duels she's had to keep secret, and Akio-san...] But we've always been close.
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It's not her fault. It's against the rules to tell. The witch said so.
[Utena's head jerks over to the shadow, and she speaks to it as if she's accustomed to this odd occurrence.] Huh? What are you talking about? [But there is no answer, for once.
Wakaba begins to stir, as if waking from a dream.]
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Hm....I didn't expect my efforts to do any good, but....[focused on Utena now:] Tenjou-san, who was that?
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It's sad. You tried your best, but in the end they made it go away. Everything you did.
I don't know. [Utena's voice is tight, and she stands to her feet.] I don't even know what it's talking about.
[There is a sound off into the distance, like a drawer being slammed shut suddenly. A rush of flame. The mist is heavier now, so much so that it's difficult to see anything further ahead. Utena begins to walk into it anyway. The shadow follows, slowly, but suddenly turns to Mami, and seems to tilt its head.]
We're going to the Ends of the World. Would you like to come?
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Tenjou-san?....Tenjou-san!
[She cuts her eyes at the shadow, mouth drawn into a tight thin line. In another, brighter flash of gold, two muskets materialize from nothing to fill her hands. Considering that answer enough, Mami quickly follows after Utena, sparing Wakaba only a single glance. It's just what she had feared might happen; the dream is not only changing, it's growing worse.]
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When Utena stops, the fog seems to clear around her, but it is still difficult to see much at all. A bird flutters by her, disappears into the mist. She frowns, and rubs the back of her head. When she turns to face Mami, there is a white rose on her chest, one that wasn't there before.]
It's weird, this fog. It's never like this on campus. I wonder what's going on.
[The shadow moves to stand beside Mami, and whispers, low:] Be careful.
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A few wary, careful steps toward Utena. But not too close.]
That's because this isn't your school campus, Tenjou-san. [quietly, trailing off in thought:] But I suppose it's only natural for you not to realize....
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[The fog clears enough to show two shadowed girls in the distance, one kneeling before the other. In the blink of an eye, it changes. The kneeling figure screams, as if in intense pain, as the other tears what appears to be a sword out of her chest.
Utena gasps, and breaks into a run.] Juri-senpai!
[The shadow watches, and says to Mami, softly:]
The roads go in circles here.
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Instead her teeth grit, just a fraction, and Mami slams one of her muskets barrel-first into the ground. With her freed hand, she pulls out the yellow ribbon tied in a bow around her neck in a single snap of the wrist. The next instant has Mami whipping the ribbon at Utena; the ridiculous gesture would seem out of place in this dark, disturbing dream if not for how the cloth stretches out at a rapid speed. It becomes bigger, thicker, snapping out in a bid to entangle Utena and bind her fast around the waist- drag her back from that chilling scene ahead.]
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Let me go! She's in trouble!
[The little shadow sits down daintily, clumsily smooths out the wrinkles in her clothing.] They're all in a lot of trouble. She's right.
[The figure with the sword seems alerted by all the commotion, and begins to make her way toward them.]
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