Bring Back A ██████ For Me

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Entering feels like falling. Dreamscapes can be just enough like the real world to be jarring when they’re not. They function on different logic, have different appearances, carry the essence of the person they belong to. You know that you’re in Celeste’s dream because the area around you feels distinctly of him. This adds to the sensation that something is not right. Actually, everything feels incredibly //wrong//. <<gray>>Shinya?<</gray>> Gray’s voice cuts into your head with a slight echo-like bend. <<tsubame>>Is everything okay out there?<</tsubame>> <<gray>>Cel's fine, but you're...<</gray>> <<ghost>>Your body did this weird flinching thing like you got hit in the face.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>That's not normal.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>It isn't?<</ghost>> You ignore Ghost’s smart-ass comment. [[> Look around.|DreamHub]]

<<if previous() is "TakiIntro9">>\ You stagger out of the room, catching your self on a pole to keep from falling into the dirt. You almost trip over your own feet anyway trying to get back onto solid ground, and it takes several deep breaths before you can feel remotely okay. You sink to your knees and close your eyes. It feels like there’s too much everything at once, and you can’t shake the image of Celeste laying lifelessly on the floor. Gray and Ghost are silent too, recovering from their own shock at what they saw. You hear soft footsteps and turn your head sharply, but it’s only the guardians. They look... apologetic, almost. <<tsubame>>If that was meant to scare me-<</tsubame>> <<tsuki>>That was the most important one.<</tsuki>> <<hichii>>The last time he saw you.<</hichii>> <<tsubame>>But I was already "dead" by that point.<</tsubame>> <<tsuki>>The last time he saw you, not the last time you saw him.<</tsuki>> <<tsubame>>Why did he die in that memory? Is that what he thinks happened?<</tsubame>> <<hichii>>That memory is twisted.<</hichii>> <<tsuki>>You will need to repair it.<</tsuki>> <<tsubame>>And the other memories?<</tsubame>> <<hichii>>Complete but broken, waiting to be reassembled.<</hichii>> <<tsuki>>Good luck.<</tsuki>> You watch as two gold streaks swipe across your vision, and suddenly the guardians are gone. <br><</if>>\ <<first>>\ You’re standing in a courtyard surrounded on three sides by an //engawa//, a Japanese-style outdoor walkway. It looks to be dusk, right at the end of sundown. The sky is a deep purple, and you can see a thousand blinking spots of white looking down at you. The moon hangs among them, a tilted cresent giving off weak light. The stone lanterns have been lit, giving you just enough light to see the area. A gentle breeze rustles the shrunken blossoms on the morning glory vines planted sporadically around, held up by wooden trellises. Behind you stretches a large pond contains koi of all sizes, patterns, and colors drifting lazily in the water. Two stone creatures are placed in front of the engawa before the marked door, keeping silent guard. They’re four-legged with stocky bodies. The curls of their tails and manes seem to roll as light flickers across their surfaces, coiling almost like fire. The one to your left has a single pointed horn growing from the top of its head and ears that flop down at the ends. The one to your right has ears that stick straight up into the air as if listening intently. Their fangs are too big for their mouths, sticking out past their jaws, and the left has its teeth bared while the right has its mouth hanging open. The walkway is raised off of the ground to knee-height by wooden pillars. Beyond the engawa are sliding doors made of standard wood and paper. The doors lead to rooms, and between the four separated rooms you can see that the walkways go further back. There are more doors and more rooms as far as you can see, although your vision gets hazy if you try to look for too long or focus on anything farther back. Turning around, you can see an end to the pond, but there is a thick forest along its outer edge; the trees block your vision, giving you no view of what lays beyond. In front of you are a set of doors much the same as the others, but with the inclusion of the Asagao family crest. The dye used is a deep purple, stark against the white paper. A white four-pointed star sits inside of a solid circle, mimicking the appearance of a morning glory with four petals, instead of the usual five. These oddities to the usual grow in plentiful quantities around the Asagao estate, Celeste told you once. His ancestors believed them to be a sign of good will and prosperity from a //kami//, and had taken the apperance of the flowers as a crest. <<finally>>\ You stand in the courtyard once more, surrounded by morning glories. <</first>> <<if not hasVisited ("Gray1")>>[[> Check the left doors.|GrayDoors]]<br><</if>>\ <<if not hasVisited ("Ghost1")>>[[> Check the right doors.|GhostDoors]]<br><</if>>\ <<if not hasVisited("DreamAmbush1")>>[[> Check the front doors.|DreamAmbush1]]\ <<elseif hasVisited("Gray1") and hasVisited("Ghost1")>>[[> Check the front doors.|TakiDoors]]\ <</if>>

You step up to the engawa and inspect the doors. Or, at least, you try to. The moment your feet touch the wood, something lunges at you from your left; you jump backwards to avoid the attack and let the entity fly past you with its momentum, then get hit from your right by a heavy weight. You land in the dirt followed by incoherent shouts from Gray and Ghost, and open your eyes to the face of a very nonhuman entity. <<say ??? 'BBimg/HichiiEmblem64.png'>>...nothing to say for yourself?<</say>> <<tsubame>>Please get off of me.<</tsubame>> The entity springs off of you and paces a few steps away, along with a similar entity which you assume is the one that first attacked you. You get to your feet and look at the two. The stone statues are gone. The entities look suspiciously similar to them, though, and you put two and two together. <<say ??? 'BBimg/TsukiEmblem64.png'>>You’re an intruder. How are you here?<</say>> [[> Explain yourself.|DreamAmbush2]]

<<tsubame>>Celeste is someone I love. I-<</tsubame>> <<say ??? 'BBimg/TsukiEmblem64.png'>>Not interested in why. Want to know //how//.<</say>> <<say ??? 'BBimg/HichiiEmblem64.png'>>How did you come in if you’re not welcome?<</say>> <<tsubame>>If I was able to enter, it means I wasn't unwelcome.<</tsubame>> <<say ??? 'BBimg/HichiiEmblem64.png'>>Then why are we compelled here?<</say>> <<tsubame>>Are you... some sort of guardians?<</tsubame>> <<say ??? 'BBimg/TsukiEmblem64.png'>>Can’t recognize a //komainu// and //shiisaa?//<</say>> Oh. Now that it says so, you realize what you’re looking at. The entity on the left is a Japanese komainu and the enity on the right is an Okinawan shiisaa, both mythical leonine creatures that act as guardians against evil. <<tsubame>>Don't you usually come in pairs?<</tsubame>> <<say ??? 'BBimg/HichiiEmblem64.png'>>We //are// a pair.<</say>> Makes enough sense that the Japanese-Okinawan guy would have a Japanese and Okinawan guardian creature respectively act as one pair of guardian entities for his dreams. <<hichii>>I am Hichii.<</hichii>> <<tsuki>>I’m Tsuki.<</tsuki>> <<tsubame>>I'm Tsubame.<</tsubame>> Neither of them reply to your introduction. [[> Explain why you’re here.|DreamAmbush3]]

<<tsubame>>I'm here to help Celeste. He's missing memories of me that he desperately wants to remember.<</tsubame>> <<tsuki>>You’re the danger.<</tsuki>> <<tsubame>>What?<</tsubame>> Hichii approaches you, a low rumble emitting from its open maw. <<hichii>>You were the pain. I drove it out. Tsuki imprisoned it. It’s gone now, we removed it.<</hichii>> <<tsubame>>You two blocked all of his memories of me?<</tsubame>> <<tsuki>>Don’t take it personally. You were pain. Pain is hurt. Hurt needs healing. Healing needs protection.<</tsuki>> <<tsubame>>But isn't feeling pain a normal part of life? You don't block every single painful thing that happened from his memory, do you?<</tsubame>> <<hichii>>Not that pain. Not that much.<</hichii>> Your heart drops into your stomach. <<tsubame>>Wasn't he in pain because he was afraid or remembering me? He //wants// to remember me now.<</tsubame>> <<tsuki>>Not just fear. You don’t know how much pain.<</tsuki>> <<tsubame>>No, I don't. But Celeste wants to deal with this because he thinks he can. Why can't you give him that chance?<</tsubame>> Tsuki and Hichii look at one another, then back to you. They circle around you, and you watch as they sit down with their backs to the emblazoned door. <<tsuki>>You can’t know his pain.<</tsuki>> <<hichii>>Unless you experience it as well.<</hichii>> <<tsuki>>Can you bear what you will make him bear?<</tsuki>> <<tsubame>>What do you want me to do?<</tsubame>> <<hichii>>Retrieve.<</hichii>> <<tsuki>>Watch.<</tsuki>> <<hichii>>Return, and prove.<</hichii>> <<tsuki>>If there is still pain, we will not allow it.<</tsuki>> <<hichii>>If not, it is free.<</hichii>> [[> Accept.|DreamAmbush4]]

<<tsubame>>I accept your challenge.<</tsubame>> <<tsuki>>Not a challenge.<</tsuki>> <<hichii>>An expectation.<</hichii>> <<tsubame>>Then, I'll fulfill your expectation. You want me to watch the memory, and prove I can handle it?<</tsubame>> <<tsuki>>No... it’s not so simple.<</tsuki>> <<hichii>>It needs reconstructing.<</hichii>> <<tsuki>>This one is locked too deep to recover.<</tsuki>> <<hichii>>But recreating is possible.<</hichii>> <<tsuki>>But before that, watch.<</tsuki>> The angle their heads toward the doors behind them. You’re being told to watch the memory now, it seems. [[> Enter the room.|TakiIntro1]]

You step up to the engawa and inspect the doors. The scent of flowers and freshly-stopped rain wafts through the little gap between the doors. You hear a murmur of voices, the occasional laugh or raised shout punctuating the noise. Your mind floats with the memory of something familiar, of a sunny day in Cogshore on the grassy grounds of a noble’s home, and a rush of excitement goes through your heart... <<first>><<gray>>Hey, is that...?<</gray>><br><</first>>\ <<if hasVisited("DreamAmbush1")>>[[> Push the doors open.|Gray1]]<br><</if>>\ <<linkreplace "> Pull yourself away.">><<tsubame>>No, not yet. Let's do this later.<</tsubame>><br>You step away from the door. <<timed 5s>><<goto "DreamHub">>\ <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

You step up to the engawa and inspect the doors. These doors have a modern keyed padlock on them. Unusual for a lock to be placed directly on these doors like this, but you notice two odd looped protrusions coming from the wooden frames of the doors that the shackle is looped around. Even more unusual. However, the shackle itself is undone, rendering the lock useless and leaving you with no particular difficulty in opening the door. <<first>><<ghost>>Did someone already get into here?<</ghost>><br><</first>>\ <<if hasVisited("DreamAmbush1")>>[[> Push the doors open.|Ghost1]]<br><</if>>\ <<linkreplace "> Pull yourself away.">><<tsubame>>No, not yet. Let's do this later.<</tsubame>><br>You step away from the door. <<timed 5s>><<goto "DreamHub">>\ <</timed>><</linkreplace>>

The Asagao crest greets you once more, just as it had earlier. Your chest tightens as you remember what you saw earlier. <<hichii>>Nervous?<</hichii>> The shiisaa’s sudden appearance startles you a little. It squeezes itself between your shins like a cat trying to tunnel through a tiny opening, and curls its tail around your legs and settles to your right. <<tsubame>>Yeah.<</tsubame>> <<tsuki>>This isn’t a requirement.<</tsuki>> The komainu rubs its horn against your leg before sitting down onto your left, also setting its tail atop Hichii’s. Your legs aren’t exactly bound, but they’re held in place loosely. <<hichii>>You already have two.<</hichii>> <<tsubame>>Are you telling me to stop?<</tsubame>> <<tsuki>>No.<</tsuki>> <<hichii>>A reminder.<</hichii>> <<tsuki>>You //may// stop.<</tsuki>> <<tsubame>>I've decided not to stop. Celeste is counting on me, and I know that I can do this.<</tsubame>> Hichii and Tsuki lift their tails, giving you free roam again. You put your hand on the handle of the door, and glance over your shoulder back at the two lions. <<tsuki>>Good luck.<</tsuki>> <<hichii>>We will be waiting.<</hichii>> You nod. [[> Push the doors open.|TakiStart]]

You awake to something touching your shoulder. Instinctively, your first move is to bring your hand to your face; the discomfort of the tear tracks on your cheeks isn't really helped by rubbing, but a handkerchief is offered to you and you take it. <<ghost>>You okay?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>I will be. Give me a moment.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>As many as you need.<</ghost>> You press the heels of your palms to your eyes, taking a few deep breaths to center yourself. Once you're certain that you're mentally recollected, you lower your hands. Ghost is standing by your chair, leaned over so that he can get a good look at your face. <<ghost>>Hey, good job. You okay with being touched?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>Yeah.<</tsubame>> Ghost gives you a quick peck on the cheek, and gives you the tightest hug he can manage. It's warm, even through the layers of your coat. <<tsubame>>Is Celeste...<</tsubame>> You turn your head and notice that the bed is empty. Alarmed for just a moment, you realize that Celeste is sitting in a chair further away. Gray is hugging him from the side, Celeste holding Gray's arms against his chest. His hair is pinned back haphazardly and his glasses still are off, placed on the table next to the chair. <<tsubame>>Asa?<</tsubame>> [[> Make sure he's okay.|End2]]

You get up out of your chair, and Ghost follows you as you walk over. Gray and Celeste are speaking in hushed tones, and you don't catch most of their conversation. <<gray>><div class="small">I should have gone to you sooner-</div><</gray>> <<celeste>><div class="small">But you came looking for me. You got there in time.</div><</celeste>> They look up when they notice you and Ghost coming closer. Both of them looking a few degrees of emotionally beaten up. <<celeste>>Hey.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>Are you two feeling okay?<</tsubame>> <<gray>>Yeah.<</gray>> <<celeste>>We're okay.<</celeste>> You get down on one knee to get to a better height to talk to Celeste. He reaches out for you and you take his hand, resting it on his thigh. <<celeste>>I feel... a lot. I don't know. I'm a little overwhelmed, I guess. Trying to process everything.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>Take your time.<</tsubame>> Celeste has a lot to think about, but so do you. The intensity of the last memory clings to you still, but seeing Celeste in front of you helps. He's alive. He's safe. He isn't laying on the floor of his home, crushed to death by grief and hopelessness. <<tsubame>>How much do you remember?<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Everything that I should, I think. The first time we met, finding out that Ghost knew you, and the...<</celeste>> He trails off and ducks his head down, looking away from you. You fear the worst, that your efforts had been for nothing. <<tsubame>>It's okay if you don't remember.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>It's not that I don't remember. It's that it's... stupid.<</celeste>> [[> What?|End3]]

<<ghost>>I can't say for sure since I was only watching, but that seemed pretty serious, not stupid.<</ghost>> <<celeste>>No, I just- I'm so sorry for making you see that.<</celeste>> He pulls his hand out of your grasp and covers his face with his hands. <<tsubame>>Celeste. Listen to me. What happened to you was a near-death experience. There's nothing for you to apologize for. It's not your fault that you got sick.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>I actually believed that was you.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>//Celeste.// A hallucination isn't something to be embarrassed about.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>And then I just //forgot// you entirely.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>That wasn't something you had control over.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>But-<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>This isn't your fault. You wouldn't have gotten sick in the first place if I hadn-<</tsubame>> <<gray>>No, it's no your fault. I... I could have done something for you. Maybe if-<</gray>> <<tsubame>>Do //not// start down that path, Isa. You know there wasn't anything you cou-<</tsubame>> Ghost crosses his arms and his face falls in a way that you know means he's about to get incredibly upset. <<ghost>>Can we not do this? I don't particularly //enjoy// watching you three have this weird fucking competition of "I'm actually the most to blame in this shitty, painful, unfair situation that none of us caused."<</ghost>> Silence falls in the room as the three of you realize that Ghost is right. You had no particularly fault in being used to take the fall for a crime you didn’t commit, Gray had no fault in being unable to defend you from a case guaranteed to be stacked against you, and Celeste had no fault in falling ill from grief and losing his memory. None of you are to blame in all of this. It doesn’t make it any easier to bear, but that is the reality of the situation. [[> Let the topic drop.|End4]]

With that settled, the conversation comes to a bit of a standstill. You look to Ghost, who glances down at you and gives you a little lopsided smile to replace his earlier frown. He's quick to forgive you three of annoying him. <<ghost>>You really doing okay?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>I promise I'm okay.<</tsubame>> You might need some time later to lie down and sleep, though. The whole ordeal has exhausted you, even though you've done no physical exertion. A tug on your wrist catches your attention, and Celeste leans in a little closer to you. You watch him curiously. <<celeste>>Speaking of promises. Remember //that// one?<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>Which one?<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>You promised me that you'd come back, //and// that you'd prove it.<</celeste>> Oh. //That// promise. You smile at Celeste, remembering what you told him in the memory. Gray and Ghost look to each other, amused expressions on their faces. <<celeste>>I mean, if you're okay with it.<</celeste>> [[> Fulfill your promise.|End5][$promise to "hug"]] [[> Kiss him.|End5][$promise to "kiss instead"]]

<<tsubame>>How do you feel about a $promise?<</tsubame>> <<if $promise is "hug">>\ <<celeste>>Please?<</celeste>> You scoot closer to Celeste on your knees until you're next to him, and lean in to give him a tight hug. It feels good to sense the tension in Celeste's shoulders loosen and his arms wrap around your chest, his head resting against your shoulder. <<else>>\ Celeste's face turns pink and his eye goes wide as you put your fingers under his chin, although he recovers quickly from his surprise. His laugh is giggly and bright as he reaches out to pull you closer by the front of your vest. <<celeste>>C'mere.<</celeste>> It's nice, weaving your fingers with Celeste's while his lips part for yours. <</if>> A long, heavy exhale leaves Celeste when you pull away. <<tsubame>>Are you okay?<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>I feel like we keep asking each other that a lot. Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking about what I remembered.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>I know it isn't everything, but-<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>It's fine. This is all I need. ...Besides, don't I have the rest of my life to remember you by?<</celeste>> He does, and he will. ---- <div class="center">//Not Really the End, but Rather One Part of the Middle// [[> Back to Start|Start]]</div>\ <<run memorize('finish', true)>>

The door slides closed behind you. This room is rather dim, with standing paper lamps placed in the corners that don’t quite shine strongly enough to light the middle of the room. On the floor is a CRT TV with only a monitor, and no controls. There are no buttons, no remote control, no switches or dials visible. <<gray>>Damn, that's old.<</gray>> You put your hand on top of it, and give it a little smack. Nothing happens. There’s a little piece of paper taped to the side of it, though, which reads "tap to choose, long press to order." Whatever that means. You try a variety of other possible inputs before you put your fingers on the screen, and the TV turns on. You squint through the sudden flood of light, and focus on the surprisingly crisp image on-screen. It shows a small office. There’s just enough space for a desk with chairs, several filing cabinets, and a wide bookshelf. Something that looks like a folding mattress is pushed into the corner. There are no windows, no visible exits other than the single door. The wooden floor is covered by a big rug, likely to hide the poor state of the planks. On the other side of the desk is an... //occupied// plush emerald-green armchair. <<tsubame>>Can you two see this?<</tsubame>> <<gray>>No, we can see the TV but not what’s on-screen. Why?<</gray>> <<tsubame>>Hey, Crow?<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Yeah?<</ghost>> [[> Ask Ghost why the TV shows him and Celeste making out in his office.|Ghost2]]

You can already tell that you’re not going to get any explanation since all you hear is a solid five seconds of silence, followed by raucous laughter from Ghost while Gray splutters. Memory-Celeste sits on Memory-Ghost’s lap, the two of them kissing rather sweetly if not enthusiastically. Ghost has one hand on Celeste’s usually-covered left cheek, and you watch in amusement as the background noise of the real Ghost’s laughter dies down. <<ghost>>Oh my god, of all the memories.<</ghost>> <<gray>>Is, uh, Cel going to mind?<</gray>> <<ghost>>I don't think he's gonna mind you seeing this one.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>If you say so.<</tsubame>> It isn’t as if you haven’t seen Ghost and Celeste kissing before. Little lovebirds, those two, but you don’t have much of a foot to stand on regarding that either. Plus, they're very cute. <<if not hasVisited("Gray1")>>\ <<gray>>Why is this one like this, if the first one was... y'know, in-person?<</gray>> <<tsubame>>No idea, but we'll work with what we have.<</tsubame>> <</if>>\ A soft sigh escapes Memory-Ghost and Memory-Celeste, and you watch as they press their foreheads together. Ghost slides his hand up to brush Celeste’s bangs back out of his face and tuck them behind his ear. From the camera’s view, you can see Celeste’s eye prosthesis clearly as it comes out of hiding from behind the locks of dark hair. A solid black orb decorated with a radial pattern in gold, it looks like a moon surrounded by tiny stars in a pitch-black night sky. The light from above glints off of the lines as Celeste moves his head minutely, like the real moon reflecting sunlight to be visible. The bright-on-dark prosthesis stands out in stark contrast to Celeste’s organic dark brown iris that looks almost black against the white of his eye. <<ghost>>...You’re beautiful.<</ghost>> <<celeste>>You mean my eye is beautiful.<</celeste>> <<ghost>>No, I mean all of you, but your eye is pretty cool too.<</ghost>> Ghost leans in (and up a little, being two inches shorter and not at all helped by Celeste having a bit of a boost from sitting on his lap) to kiss right underneath Celeste’s eye. [[> Watch them be sappy.|Ghost3]]

<<ghost>>How come you’ve always got that under your hair? Something like that feels like it was made to be seen.<</ghost>> <<celeste>>You’re gonna think I’m crazy or stupid.<</celeste>> <<ghost>>You think I’m both.<</ghost>> <<celeste>>I don’t think that. Anyway... I’m copying my dad’s hairstyle.<</celeste>> Specifically, Celeste’s //deceased// dad. You know that Celeste’s appearance and even his interest in medicine are a result of wanting to be more like the dad he never knew, a man who protected an infant Celeste’s life over his own. Ghost clearly knows the gravity of these words, from how he watches Celeste’s face. <<ghost>>Oh.<</ghost>> <<celeste>>My bangs always end up falling down so I just kind of gave up and accepted that this is what it looks like on me.<</celeste>> <<ghost>>That doesn’t sound crazy or stupid. Maybe a hairpin or two might help, though?<</ghost>> <<celeste>>Nah. This way’s mine now. I shouldn’t try to be exactly like my dad. I’m me, y’know?<</celeste>> <<ghost>>Yeah, I know.<</ghost>> Celeste smiles and puts his fingers to the wide scar on Ghost’s right cheek. You don’t have a good view of it from the camera angle, but it’s unmistakeable. A sharp, pale dip in his skin cuts jagged from the bottom of his jaw to under his cheekbone, with some residual marks from stitching the wound together. The scar pulls on his skin when he moves his mouth, causing his expressions to lean to his left a little more. You’ve never asked where Ghost got the scar, actually, but you feel like you’re about to find out. <<celeste>>What happened with this?<</celeste>> Ghost takes Celeste’s hand, pulls it away from his cheek, and kisses the palm. <<ghost>>I pissed someone off and didn’t have an adequate way to defend myself. Knife went straight through. Didn’t do as much damage as it could have because it hit my teeth.<</ghost>> <<celeste>>...Fucking hell.<</celeste>> <<ghost>>Mmhmm.<</ghost>> Celeste’s brow furrows, and he kisses Ghost on the cheek. Ghost closes his eyes and smiles, putting one hand on the back of Celeste’s head to mess with his loose hair. <<celeste>>If I ever find out who it was who did this, they’re dead.<</celeste>> <<ghost>>Which is why I haven’t told you, you’re gonna steal my revenge away from m-<</ghost>> A sharp knock makes all three of you jump. Two heads snap in the direction of the door. [[> See who is interrupting.|Ghost4]]

<<iris>>Crow? Someone wants to talk to you.<</iris>> <<ghost>>Dammit, timing...<</ghost>> You’d recognize that voice anywhere, even through the muffling of the thick door. It’s Iris Shin’yashiki, your adoptive son. Although if he’s speaking to Ghost here, this is likely before you’d even knowingly met him. That had been one of the most unexpected things about getting to know Ghost; his breadth of acquaintances made through peddling rumors and gossip was surprisingly wide. Iris’s trust of Ghost after you had properly met had been one of the reasons you put more trust in Ghost later on. That, and Celeste’s insistence that Ghost was a good person, and not trying to pull several fast ones on you and Gray at once. <<iris>>Crow?<</iris>> <<ghost>>Who’s asking?<</ghost>> <<iris>>I dunno. Someone you wrote to.<</iris>> <<ghost>>I wrote to?<</ghost>> <<iris>>He has the damn letter in his hand, I know your typing style! Open up already, will you?<</iris>> <<ghost>>Yeah, gimme a sec!<</ghost>> Ghost and Celeste look at each other, both clearly panicked. They whisper urgently at each other, while you can feel Iris’s impatience growing on the other side. <<celeste>><div class="small">I can’t be here.</div><</celeste>> <<ghost>><div class="small">You think?</div><</ghost>> <<iris>>Crowwwwwwwwwwww. I have somewhere to be!<</iris>> <<ghost>>Hold //on//, I have a //mess// to deal with first before I let strangers wander into my office!<</ghost>> <<celeste>><div class="small">//What do you mean, a ''mess''-//</div><</celeste>> [[> Watch Ghost try to hide Celeste.|Ghost5]]

Ghost pushes the armchair back and gestures to underneath the desk. Celeste stares at him, and Ghost gestures again a little more urgently this time with raised eyebrows and a pinched-thin mouth. Celeste rolls his eyes and dives under the desk. You notice the edge of his <<if hasVisited("Gray1")>>hakama<<else>>long //hakama// pants<</if>> not quite make it underneath. The sight is familiar, and you suddenly have a good idea of who is waiting for Ghost. <<ghost>>Coming, coming!<</ghost>> Ghost gets up and opens the door, failing to check if Celeste is properly hidden. The door swings open and you have to suppress a chuckle when you see yourself, a year or so younger, walk in. You get a glimpse of Iris with a scarf over his mouth and nose, but you can still read the meaninful look in his eyes aimed at Ghost. Ghost shoves his hand into his pocket and drops a few bills into Iris’s palm. Iris quickly leaves, and Ghost turns to Memory-You. <<ghost>>So... It’s rare that I get visitors. //Very// rare.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>And it’s rare that I get contacted by an information broker warning me about his recent business mentioning my name.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>...Ah. You’re...<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>“Mister” is fine.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Mr. Shin’yashiki. I wasn’t expecting you, though.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>I thought it would be best to speak face-to-face. Is now a bad time?<</tsubame>> Just as you remember, Memory-Ghost pauses. That pause had given rise to suspicion, and that brief bit of silence had been the moment you spied the bit of familiar purple cloth sticking out from behind Ghost’s desk. <<ghost>>You’re not going to leave unless I answer your questions, are you?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>No.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Well, alright. Come in, take a seat. And no peeking, I keep some rather confidential information in here.<</ghost>> He rounds the desk to sit down, awkwardly shufflings his feet to avoid kicking his boyfriend hiding underneath. Memory-You takes a seat across from him, leaning back in the chair. And then everthing freezes. [[> Give the TV another smack.|Ghost6]]

<<first>>\ The smack doesn’t fix anything, unfortunately. Instead, the screen turns purple, then displays several boxes of very similar-looking still frames with a number under each one. All of the still frames are of you and Ghost sitting in his office. <<if hasVisited("Gray1")>>It seems like this memory is all scrambled up as well. Time to put it back in correct order, then. You can probably ask Ghost for help if you’re having trouble, since he should remember what happened too. <<link ">> Watch clip 1.">><<dialog "Clip 1">><<include "Ghost7-1">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch clip 2.">><<dialog "Clip 2">><<include "Ghost7-2">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch clip 3.">><<dialog "Clip 3">><<include "Ghost7-3">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch clip 4.">><<dialog "Clip 4">><<include "Ghost7-4">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link [[> Ask Ghost for help.|GhostHint]]>> <<if $ghostHintPsgs.length is 0>> <<set $p to "GhostHint5">> <<else>> <<set $p to $ghostHintPsgs.pluck()>> <</if>> <</link>> [[> Order the clips.|Ghost8]] <<else>>\ <<linkreplace "> Touch one of the boxes.">>\ You touch the box labeled “3”, and a video clip begins to play. <<timed 5s>> <<dialog "Clip 3">> <<include "Ghost7-3">> <<onclose>> <<goto "Ghost6First">> <</dialog>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</if>>\ <<finally>>\ <<link ">> Watch clip 1.">><<dialog "Clip 1">><<include "Ghost7-1">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch clip 2.">><<dialog "Clip 2">><<include "Ghost7-2">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch clip 3.">><<dialog "Clip 3">><<include "Ghost7-3">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch clip 4.">><<dialog "Clip 4">><<include "Ghost7-4">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link [[> Ask Ghost for help.|GhostHint]]>> <<if $ghostHintPsgs.length is 0>> <<set $p to "GhostHint5">> <<else>> <<set $p to $ghostHintPsgs.pluck()>> <</if>> <</link>> [[> Order the clips.|Ghost8]] <</first>>

<<tsubame>>Well, that was part of the conversation...<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>I couldn't see any of that. What's going on?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>The memory is split up into sections. I think I need to put these back in the right order, but I need to watch all of them.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Great. Well, if you need help, you can ask me, but I dunno how useful I'll be.<</ghost>> <<link ">> Watch clip 1.">><<dialog "Clip 1">><<include "Ghost7-1">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch clip 2.">><<dialog "Clip 2">><<include "Ghost7-2">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch clip 3.">><<dialog "Clip 3">><<include "Ghost7-3">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch clip 4.">><<dialog "Clip 4">><<include "Ghost7-4">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link [[> Ask Ghost for help.|GhostHint]]>> <<if $ghostHintPsgs.length is 0>> <<set $p to "GhostHint5">> <<else>> <<set $p to $ghostHintPsgs.pluck()>> <</if>> <</link>> [[> Order the clips.|Ghost8]]

<<tsubame>>Exactly //who// wanted all of this information on me?<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Right, that. I can’t really directly give out names, it’d be a breach of trust on my end...<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>Is it not already a breach of trust for you to inform me that one of your clients want to know abut me?<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Not if I don’t directly identify the person.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>I think you know that me knowing all of this is utterly useless if I don’t know who is targeting me.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>You don’t have any idea of who might want you out of the way?<</ghost>> Memory-You narrows eyes at Memory-Ghost. <<ghost>>Okay, okay, that’s fair. Okay, I can sort of narrow it down for you...<</ghost>> Memory-Ghost pulls out a piece of scrap paper and a pen from his desk, writes down a name, and passes the scrap to you. Memory-You looks at it, then looks back at Memory-Ghost. <<tsubame>>This is //very// narrowed down.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Well, that answers your question anyway, right?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>Why all of the initial hesitance if you were just going to give this to me anyway?<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>I need to maintain some sort of image, don’t I?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>I’m not going to talk about you to anyone.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>You never know, you might need my services at some point...<</ghost>>

<<tsubame>>...What was the point of bringing this to my attention?<</tsubame>> Ghost leans forward and rests his elbows on his desk, his chin settling on his clasped hands. <<ghost>>In my profession, the information I sell is, quite frankly, pointless in the long run. It isn’t necessarily even //true//. But I’m asked to supply it for the very small chance that it might lead to exploiting some weakness in that person.<</ghost>> He exhales, closes his eyes, and when they open again, there’s a distinct serious focus to them. <<ghost>>I wasn’t asked to give //conjecture// on you. This person wanted solid facts.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>Is your conscience finally getting to you?<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Don’t be ridiculous. I’m doing a favor to society with my work.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>You buy and sell information for nobles.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>I take money from dumbasses who waste it on rumors that they could hear for free if they weren’t so afraid of getting poor people germs. I give that money to people who give me more rumors. I’m making money actually cycle around in this economy.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>A laudable endeavor.<</tsubame>>

<<tsubame>>So, you’re doing this out of the goodness of your own heart?<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Well, of course it is! What would people do without you? Okay, don’t answer that, I’m sure overall we’d manage to get by somehow. Or maybe not. At any rate, there’d be more of us thrown in prison without a good reason, I’m sure there’d be more orphaned kids, probably some elderly folks without caretakers, a couple of related deaths, and don’t you fund or run or manage or whatever a shelter of some sort for kids with unsafe homes?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>You’re helping me because it helps your people.<</tsubame>> Ghost leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest, shrugging. Memory-You correctly takes that as an affirmative. <<tsubame>>I see. And you looked at me and thought of me as //your// community as well?<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>I have no reason to believe you’re not.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>I’ve been living with nobles since I was a teenager.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>But you aren’t one. And you don’t act like one. You got to where you are through a lot of hard work, even if you did get some help. That’s not something to hold against you, is it?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>...Thank you, I think.<</tsubame>>

<<ghost>>Since you’re here, can I ask one question?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>I suppose.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>What kind of lies would you like me to make up about you?<</ghost>> Memory-You stares at Memory-Ghost for a few moments, completely silent. <<tsubame>>Isn’t that going to cause problems for you?<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Plausible deniability is a hell of a defense. I can make up something that seems real enough.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>You’re not going to look for any real information about me, then?<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Why would I leak your secrets while you know that I would be the source of said leaks?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>I don’t know. I’ve seen people do worse.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Right. Well, I don’t plan on telling any truths about you. So either you can tell me, or I can make something up.<</ghost>> Memory-You visibly ponders the topic for a bit. <<tsubame>>Make me not worth the trouble.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Oh, I can definitely do that.<</ghost>>

<<tsubame>>Crow, I need a hand remembering this.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Man, that’s weird to hear that coming from you, but sure. Um...<</ghost>> There’s a pause while Ghost thinks. <<ghost>><<include $p>><</ghost>> [[> Order the clips.|Ghost8]] [[> Watch the clips again.|Ghost6]]

<<tsubame>>I think I know the order.<</tsubame>> If you remember correctly, the order of the clips should be: <<nobr>> <<listbox "$ghost1st">> <<option 1>> <<option 2>> <<option 3>> <<option 4>> <</listbox>> <<listbox "$ghost2nd">> <<option 1>> <<option 2>> <<option 3>> <<option 4>> <</listbox>> <<listbox "$ghost3rd">> <<option 1>> <<option 2>> <<option 3>> <<option 4>> <</listbox>> <<listbox "$ghost4th">> <<option 1>> <<option 2>> <<option 3>> <<option 4>> <</listbox>> <</nobr>> [[> Or at least, you think it is.|Ghost9]] [[> Watch the clips again.|Ghost6]]

You follow the directions from the sheet of paper, and reorder the clips. <<if ($ghost1st is 2) and ($ghost2nd is 4) and ($ghost3rd is 1) and ($ghost4th is 3)>>\ The screen flickers for a moment, and then starts to play another clip. <<ghost>>So... anything else I can help you with, Mr. Shin’yashiki?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>Not particularly. Thank you for your time, Mr. Crow.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Just “Crow” is fine. Hope you have a good one.<</ghost>> Memory-You leaves the office, accompanied to the door by Memory-Ghost. As soon as the door closes, Ghost presses his back to it, and then lets out a noise reminiscent of a tire losing air. <<ghost>>Good fucking hell. Coast’s clear, Glory.<</ghost>> Celeste pokes his head out from under the desk, visible only from his eye up. When he rises completely, he looks... unhappy, would be one way to put it. <<celeste>>What the hell are //you// doing writing letters to //Tsubame?!//<</celeste>> And then the screen clicks off. During your confusion, there’s a noise that sounds like wood grinding against wood behind you. When you turn to check, the sliding doors are open, and you can see the courtyard beyond it. <<tsubame>>Guess that did the trick.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Yaaaaay.<</ghost>> [[> Go back to the courtyard.|DreamHub]] <<else>>\ Nothing happens. That doesn’t seem to be right. [[> Try again.|Ghost8]] [[> Watch the clips again.|Ghost6]] <</if>>

I know I asked you a question, but I think it was in the second half of our conversation.

You wanted to know why I told you about all of that, after you asked who wanted to know about you. I think.

I really didn't know that you knew Glory before all of this, so I was being completely honest about my reasons for why I told you. Oh, that doesn't help with the order, does it...

Did we start with who asked about you, or what was being asked? It was one of the two, maybe?

I don't have anything else. Sorry, Shisa.

The door slides closed behind you. It’s almost pitch black, and there are no lights inside to guide you. You take a moment to let your eyes adjust to the lack of light; eventually, you see a carousel slide projector, aimed at the wall in front of you. There are already several slides loaded into it. You turn the projector on to an empty frame, and hit the button to cycle the rotating tray to project the first image. It looks like a garden party. You know this place; you attended a get-together here with some of benefactors who funded the university program that you, Celeste, and Gray participated in. The grass is a too-lively green, the flowers too bright to be natural. A tent has been set up which blocks the sun without filtering out too much light, covering about a dozen or so round tables. You can hear faint music and distant laughter. The flowers are swaying lightly, the leaves are rustling, and the grass is swept sideways whenever a strong gust becomes audible. This is not a still image; it is a video, somehow. <<tsubame>>Do you two see this?<</tsubame>> <<gray>>See what?<</gray>> <<tsubame>>The slide projector is showing a video on the wall. Isa, it's the party we went to while we were in college.<</tsubame>> <<gray>>Oh. ...//Oh.// You mean //the// party.<</gray>> <<ghost>>//The// party?<</ghost>> <<gray>>Yeah, it was kind of eventful...<</gray>> [[> Leave Gray to fill Ghost in about it.|Gray2]]

<<ghost>>Uh, that sounds like... a bad experience. Should we pick another memory?<</ghost>> <<gray>>Yeah, it was kind of bad, but this is something Shin'ya and I were there for. Cel won't mind if he looks at this.<</gray>> <<if not hasVisited("Ghost1")>>\ <<ghost>>I guess. But more importantly, it's //playing// the memory? How come this time you're not directly in it?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>No idea, but we'll work with what we have.<</tsubame>> <</if>>\ You keep watching the slide. There’s not much to see for a little bit, until you spy a train of people approach the tent. You know these faces, although you’re struggling to put names to them at the moment. Not that it really matters who they are; these are all politicians, rich nobles, and such. People you don’t particularly care to think about right now. Among the group, though, you spy the memory’s versions of yourself, Gray, and Celeste, standing separately. Nobody is talking to the three, and the three make no effort to speak to anyone either. You remember feeling rather out of place at that event. <<say Host "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>We do have some time until lunch, so please feel free to enjoy the nice weather! The azaleas are particularly gorgeous right now!<</say>> You see Celeste wander away from the tables by himself to look at some of the flowers. His expressionless face shifts into a small smile before he reaches the flowers being boasted of, however. He stops and looks at the grass, having caught sight of something. <<tsubame>>Is there something on the ground?<</tsubame>> Celeste jumps, but recomposes himself as he sees Memory-You approach. He smiles and picks up one foot to point his toes at a dark clump in the grass. <<celeste>>I found some four-leaf clovers.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>Hmm. I would have thought the groundskeepers would have gotten rid of them on such a... well-maintainted lawn.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>I’m glad they’re here. I like them better than those flowers.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>Why?<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Those colors are too much. They’re giving the flowers something to make them more vibrant, which... I don’t know. I would prefer them to look the way they’re supposed to.<</celeste>> [[> Keep watching.|Gray3]]

<<tsubame>>They’re hurting my eyes a little, to be honest.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Yeah, me too.<</celeste>> Celeste turns to Memory-You, his head tilted to the side slightly. <<celeste>>I’m Celeste. Nice to meet you.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>I’m Tsubame.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Tsubame, like the bird?<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>Yeah.<</tsubame>> Memory-You pauses. <<tsubame>>Are you particular about your flowers?<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Oh, sort of, I guess. Morning glories are my family’s namesake, and cultivating them is a big thing for us.<</celeste>> <<gray>>Hey, Tsubame!<</gray>> Celeste and Memory-You turn around at the sound of Memory-Gray’s voice. He does a little jog over, clearly trying to move quickly without being obvious in front of the other partygoers. <<gray>>Ugh, don’t leave me alone here.<</gray>> <<tsubame>>That wasn’t my intention...<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Oh, you have a friend with you? Lucky you guys, I’m here by myself.<</celeste>> <<gray>>Oh, uh... I don’t know where you’re sitting, but you can stay with us for a while?<</gray>> Celeste makes a pleading look and clasps his hands together in front of him. <<celeste>>Oh, please say you’re both at table four, I cannot sit by myself with these people-<</celeste>> Memory-You pulls the slip of paper out of the front coat pocket to check, and smiles as he turns the sheet around to show a little "4" on it. Gray does the same. <<tsubame>>Lucky you, you’re not sitting by yourself.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Oh, thank god.<</celeste>> Celeste turns to Gray, a friendly smile on his face. <<celeste>>Sorry, I didn’t get your name.<</celeste>> Memory-Gray looks surprised for a moment, realizing that he hasn’t introduced himself yet. <<gray>>Oh. I’m Gray.<</gray>> And then he stands there awkwardly, in very usual Gray fashion. Memory-You continues the conversation. [[> Keep watching.|Gray4]]

<<tsubame>>So, what’s your major?<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Pre-Med. I kind of wanted to be a paramedic but I can’t, so I’m figuring out what I want to do that isn’t that but still is about medicine. <</celeste>> <<gray>>Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.<</gray>> <<celeste>>Mmh, oh well. What about you two?<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>Pre-Law, focusing on criminal law.<</tsubame>> <<gray>>Pre-Med as well, but I’m looking at forensic pathology.<</gray>> <<celeste>>Huh. How do you guys know each other?<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>We had a few classes together, and we’ve sort of been hanging out ever since.<</tsubame>> That explanation fails to include the fact that you and Gray had been childhood friends as well, but Gray still hadn’t realized that at the memory’s point in time. In his defense, you hadn’t realized who Gray was at first, either. Celeste had found that revelation incredibly funny when you told him later. <<celeste>>It’s nice to have friends outside of your usual classes. All of my school friends are all med students. Except my friend Kaamii, but he doesn’t count.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>Why’s that?<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>I’ve known him since I was like, fourteen.<</celeste>> <<gray>>Huh.<</gray>> <<celeste>>Yeah, I have a bunch of friends like that... I dunno if they’re really friends though. People I know. Your parents’ friends’ kids, that kind of thing, y’know?<</celeste>> Memory-You nods despite not knowing anyone your age in a way like that. It seems that most of the people are sitting down for lunch now. Memory-Celeste frowns at the sight. <<celeste>>Guess it’s time to head back...<</celeste>> <<gray>>Why are you so unhappy about this? I mean, it’s annoying, but it’s free food.<</gray>> <<celeste>>Maybe you’ll find out later, but let’s hope not.<</celeste>> Memory-Gray looks at Memory-You with a look of confusion. Memory-You shrugs, and the three walk back to the tables to sit. [[> Watch them look for their seats.|Gray5]]

Table four is set up toward the edge of the tent, and the three take their seats. The other three guests are already seated, and they turn and smile politely at the newcomers. There are no other students sitting with them, and the program’s benefactors turn their attention to the recipients of their philantropy. Or however the hell they feel about donating money. You don’t know or care. What you do notice is that the three nobles have rather fuzzy, indistinct outlines, and you can’t quite make out their faces. They might as well all be the same person. <<say "Noble 1" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>Hello! All of this sun makes it awfully hot, doesn’t it? I was expecting this to be an indoor event, but I guess the gardens //do// need to be seen.<</say>> <<gray>>Oh, uh-<</gray>> <<say "Noble 2" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>We can see the inside of a building //any// time of the year. The gardens should be enjoyed at their prettiest.<</say>> <<say "Noble 1" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>I think comfort is far better to consider over aesthetics.<</say>> <<celeste>>It’s a nice day for an outdoor lunch, I guess. Better than if it’s raining.<</celeste>> <<say "Noble 3" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>You don’t have to agree, it’s not like we’ll get upset if you like different weather than we do.<</say>> <<say "Noble 2" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>The money’s already paid out.<</say>> They all laugh at their stupid little joke. Memory-You and Memory-Gray politely smile as best as possible, while Memory-Celeste rubs his cheek awkwardly. Lunch is served in courses. You are not thrilled to have to sit through the same drivel all over again, but you patiently watch it all as people give speeches, nobles make very stupid jokes that annoy the hell out of you, and Memory-Celeste seems to get more and more uncomfortable with every passing minute. The video for this slide stops playing at about the time the main course is served, showing only a still frame of the table (as expected of a //slide// projector). [[> Check the projector.|Gray6]]

<<first>>\ You look at the tray and notice four more slides in it. <<if hasVisited("Ghost1")>>It seems like this memory is all scrambled up as well. Time to put it back in correct order, then. You can probably ask Gray for help if you’re having trouble, since he should remember what happened too. <<link ">> Watch slide 1.">><<dialog "Slide 1">><<include "Gray7-1">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch slide 2.">><<dialog "Slide 2">><<include "Gray7-2">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch slide 3.">><<dialog "Slide 3">><<include "Gray7-3">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch slide 4.">><<dialog "Slide 4">><<include "Gray7-4">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link [[> Ask Gray for help.|GrayHint]]>> <<if $grayHintPsgs.length is 0>> <<set $p to "GrayHint5">> <<else>> <<set $p to $grayHintPsgs.pluck()>> <</if>> <</link>> [[> Order the slides.|Gray8]] <<else>>\ <<linkreplace "> Move to the next slide.">>\ You pull out the slide in the next slot, and see that it’s marked with a “3” in the top corner. You replace the slide and push the button to rotate the tray, and a new video begins to play. <<timed 5s>> <<dialog "Slide 3">> <<include "Gray7-3">> <<onclose>> <<goto "Gray6First">> <</dialog>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</if>>\ <<finally>>\ <<link ">> Watch slide 1.">><<dialog "Slide 1">><<include "Gray7-1">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch slide 2.">><<dialog "Slide 2">><<include "Gray7-2">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch slide 3.">><<dialog "Slide 3">><<include "Gray7-3">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch slide 4.">><<dialog "Slide 4">><<include "Gray7-4">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link [[> Ask Gray for help.|GrayHint]]>>\ <<if not $psgs.length>>\ <<set $p to "GrayHint5">>\ <<else>>\ <<set $p to $psgs.pluck()>>\ <</if>>\ <</link>> [[> Order the slides.|Gray8]] <</first>>

<<tsubame>>Well, that was //part// of the conversation...<</tsubame>> <<gray>>What happened?<</gray>> <<tsubame>>It looks like there's other slides for the rest of the memory, but they're out of order. I need to put them back in order.<</tsubame>> <<gray>>Huh. Well, let me know if you need any help.<</gray>> <<link ">> Watch slide 1.">><<dialog "Slide 1">><<include "Gray7-1">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch slide 2.">><<dialog "Slide 2">><<include "Gray7-2">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch slide 3.">><<dialog "Slide 3">><<include "Gray7-3">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link ">> Watch slide 4.">><<dialog "Slide 4">><<include "Gray7-4">><</dialog>><</link>> <<link [[> Ask Gray for help.|GrayHint]]>>\ <<if not $grayHintPsgs.length>>\ <<set $p to "GrayHint5">>\ <<else>>\ <<set $p to $grayHintPsgs.pluck()>>\ <</if>>\ <</link>> [[> Order the slides.|Gray8]]

<<say "Noble 1" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>Right, names, names! Oh, if you forget, you can just read off of these little cards they so thoughtfully left for us, I guess.<</say>> The noble picks up the name card left on the table to denote who sits where. <<say "Noble 2" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>I’m sure these students are //bright// enough to know how to read.<</say>> <<say "Noble 3" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>Forget all of that, -<</say>> The next word out of the noble’s mouth is an utterly incomprehensible jumble. Celeste must not remember enough about the nobles to have retained any informaion about them. That would also explain the indistinct apperances. <<say "Noble 3" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>-is just bad at introductions.<</say>> The three introductions given are also completely incomprehensible. It’s as if you aren’t able to process the noises into words. <<tsubame>>I’m Tsubame Shin’yashiki.<</tsubame>> <<gray>>I’m Gray Bagaoisan.<</gray>> <<celeste>>I’m Celeste Asagao.<</celeste>> Memory-Celeste introduces himself with an audible hesitance, but nobody pays any special mind to him. You would later find out that he had been afraid of being recognized as the noble Asagao family’s younger heir. Interestingly, it hadn't been out of fear of being needled by the other nobles, but rather that you and Gray might dislike him for it.

<<say "Noble 1" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>Asagao! Oh, yes, your mother’s an interesting lady. I heard that you can’t see out of your left eye at all?<</say>> <<celeste>>Excuse me?<</celeste>> <<say "Noble 1" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>I heard earlier that you’re studying to be a doctor even while half-blind. How is that? I’m surprised you’re able to do that at all.<</say>> Memory-Celeste’s face is blank, which you know means that he is absolutely dismayed. <<celeste>>Oh, well... it doesn’t prevent me from reading. I can see just fine out of my right eye with glasses.<</celeste>> <<say "Noble 3" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>Yes, but what about practical learning? You do have more hands-on lessons, don’t you?<</say>> <<celeste>>Yes, but I’m not really focused on any specific area yet so I don’t have very much of that yet.<</celeste>> <<gray>>Celeste, can you pass me the pepper?<</gray>> Memory-Gray does his best to interrupt the current conversation topic, and Celeste eagerly takes it. <<celeste>>Yeah, here. Hey, Gray, you’ve chosen a focus already, right? How’s that going?<</celeste>> <<say "Noble 3" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>Don’t lock yourself into anything! Remember, plenty of students change their majors and it’s best to keep an open mind.<</say>> <<gray>>Um, yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.<</gray>>

<<say "Noble 2" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>Celeste, I imagine you have some... obstacles, should I say? To go into certain areas?<</say>> <<celeste>>Maybe, for some...<</celeste>> Memory-Gray slinks down a little bit in his chair, a brief flash of annoyance on his face, before covering it up and leaning forward. <<gray>>Medicine’s a wide subject area. There’s plenty of things to specialize in.<</gray>> <<say "Noble 3" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>Right, exactly! What are you interested in, Gray?<</say>> <<gray>>Oh, I’m looking at forensic pathology.<</gray>> <<say "Noble 1" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>Oooh, a future coroner... I’ve heard //that// is a spooky job to have, as you’d expect.<</say>> The second noble is completely ignoring the conversation with Gray, in favor of asking Celeste more questions. <<say "Noble 2" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>Were you not interested in optometry? I imagine your personal experience would be valuable to the field.<</say>> <<celeste>>No, not really...<</celeste>> <<say "Noble 2" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>I see, //too// personal of a field to really look into?<</say>> The attention is back on Celeste again, and Celeste clearly does not like it.

<<tsubame>>Gray, pass me the bread basket?<</tsubame>> <<gray>>Sure. Uh, Tsubame, you’re Pre-Law, yeah?<</gray>> <<tsubame>>Sure am!<</tsubame>> <<gray>>You figure that means I’ll end up working with you at some point?<</gray>> <<tsubame>>Maybe, but that’s probably only if I work with the Cogshore DA’s office.<</tsubame>> Memory-You reaches for a piece of bread from the basket to tear in half. The three nobles are completely ignoring you and Gray, turned to Celeste and coaxing answers out of him to satisfy their own curiosity. <<say "Noble 3" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>Do you have any other academic interests, outside of medicine? It’s good to have multiple, just in case.<</say>> <<celeste>>Not exactly-<</celeste>> <<say "Noble 2" "BBimg/PartyEmblem64.png">>You should branch out a little! You might end up liking something else even more.<</say>> <<celeste>>I //do// have other interests, I’m just not looking at pursuing them professionally.<</celeste>> Memory-You turns his head to the side, realizing that nobody at the table is paying attention to him, and whistles at something out of view from the shot.

<<tsubame>>Isa, I need some help with this.<</tsubame>> <<gray>>What? Oh, sure. Uh...<</gray>> Gray ponders for a moment. <<gray>><<include $p>><</gray>> [[> Order the slides.|Gray8]] [[> Watch the slides again.|Gray6]]

<<tsubame>>I think I know the order.<</tsubame>> If you remember correctly, the order of the slides should be: <<nobr>> <<listbox "$gray1st">> <<option 1>> <<option 2>> <<option 3>> <<option 4>> <</listbox>> <<listbox "$gray2nd">> <<option 1>> <<option 2>> <<option 3>> <<option 4>> <</listbox>> <<listbox "$gray3rd">> <<option 1>> <<option 2>> <<option 3>> <<option 4>> <</listbox>> <<listbox "$gray4th">> <<option 1>> <<option 2>> <<option 3>> <<option 4>> <</listbox>> <</nobr>> [[> Or at least, you think it is.|Gray9]] [[> Watch the slides again.|Gray6]]

You follow the directions from the sheet of paper, and reorder the slides. <<if ($gray1st is 1) and ($gray2nd is 4) and ($gray3rd is 3) and ($gray4th is 2)>>\ The screen flickers for a moment, and then the tray rotates on its own to project a new slide. You notice that several pieces of torn bread are nestled between Memory-You’s fingers. You’re not sure when that happened; you didn’t really notice it. Memory-You has his hand out, rubbing his fingers together at a goose sitting outside of the tented area. Aware of friendly behavior when it sees such, the goose tilts his head at Memory-You, who drops the bread on the ground and nudges his head toward the table. You know that wild animals would never understand human gestures or their intent, but the goose responds to the bribery by hopping over, and immediately launching itself at the bread basket in the middle of the table. Memory-You makes absolutely no move to help as the goose does its worst. It snatches beans off of plates, yanks beef off of forks, flaps its wings and screeches at desperate hands shooing it away. You watch it steal a radish slice off of your own plate, before moving on to Gray’s where it steps in his mashed potatoes in its haste to avoid being smacked. Celeste and Gray are cackling uncontrollably through it all; Celeste screeches in delight when the bird gets to his plate and makes off with a half-eaten young carrot. Once the goose is finally chased off by the wait staff, everyone takes a long moment to recover from the excitement. It’s exactly as hilarious to watch it again now as it had been to experience it firsthand then. The projector makes a weird clicking noise, and then powers down. Sensing movement behind you, you turn, but it’s only the doors sliding open to let you out of the room. <<tsubame>>//Yes.//<</tsubame>> <<gray>>Good job, Shin'ya.<</gray>> [[> Go back to the courtyard.|DreamHub]] <<else>>\ Nothing happens. That doesn’t seem to be right. [[> Try again.|Gray8]] [[> Watch the slides again.|Gray6]] <</if>>

Hmm... Sorry, this isn't really helpful, but I was wondering why you used the bread in the end, instead of another distraction. Then again, I didn't get very far trying to change the subject, did I?

I'm trying to remember... They had the decency to at least ask our //names// first. They probably didn't care, though.

That one person recognized Celeste by name immediately. Is that what it's like to be rich? Other rich people just know who you are?

Man, I remember I mentioned medicine was a wide field, but those assholes told Cel he should be looking at other fields "just in case." Like they didn't want him to be a doctor at all.

I can't really think of anything else... Sorry, Shin'ya.

Grief, like all human emotions, is natural and capable of great harm. Humans will attempt their best to cope and survive with pain. In the absence of a loved one, memories can be comforting for some and torture for others. There's no way to know for certain how any one person will react to loss and grief, and all that can be done is to help them as best as possible. <<tsubame>>Are you sure you'll be okay?<</tsubame>> Your name is Tsubame Shin'yashiki, and you are helping your boyfriend recover from the grief of your death. The story is a long, complicated one, starting with the fact that you did not truly die. Ultimately, why you "died" is not relevant right now. Those unaware of your survival grieved you, but the grief had been too much for one of them. It had been so deep, so crushing, that he fell ill from the pain. When he finally recovered, his memories of you had been pushed into the deepest corner his mind could find. They are not gone. They are hidden, unreachable, protecting your boyfriend against further pain. And yet even after your return, these memories remain out of his reach. Where once the ability to remember haunted him, now the inability to remember breaks his heart. <<celeste>>This uncertainty is going to kill me faster than remembering something unpleasant.<</celeste>> Your boyfriend is Celeste Asagao. [[> You call him Asa.|Intro2]]

You and others have told Celeste many stories about the two of you, but it is not //knowledge// that he desires. He wants to remember of his own ability. He wants to remember that you are important to him, not simply believe what he is told. He trusts you, though. He believes that you cared for him, do care for him, will always care for him. His memory may be in pieces, but his heart knows the familiarity. Your kindness is honest, and Celeste does not need memories to know that. You care deeply for him, and even if he does not remember caring deeply for you before, he cares for you now. All he needs is a little help to remember. Only those who are strongly connected with the memories to be retrieved can offer the help, at least if using //this// method. <<gray>>Cel, it's not that simple.<</gray>> Your partner, Gray Oración Bagaoisan, is correct in his concern. [[> You call him Isa.|Intro3]]

The ever-hopeful one who had never stopped trying to urge Celeste to remember. Despite Celeste's irritation and frustration at Gray for his constant insistence that Celeste knew you, he never fully gave up. He isn't unaffected in this either; Celeste had forgotten much about Gray as well, an unfortunate side effect of the three of you spending so much time together. Gray had suffered grief's weight on him too. Despite the difficulties that had arisen between you and him because of his struggles with his own emotions, he is still your Isa, your sunlight. <<celeste>>It's fine. If I can remember, I'll be happy with it.<</celeste>> <<ghost>>Are you sure about that?<</ghost>> Celeste shoots his boyfriend a withering look. Ghost Corazón-Cuervo, a near-professional at saying things in a slightly too-casual manner, puts his hands up in mock surrender. [[> You call him Crow.|Intro4]]

You don't know as much about Ghost, but it's not for a lack of trying. Ghost has his own share of experience with memory loss. A rather large amount of his life is one massive blank, with seemingly no way of filling it in. Unlike Celeste, Ghost does not particularly care about recovering his memories. He simply exists as he is currently, with a new name and family of his own choosing. <<ghost>>Listen, I get that remembering is important to you. But not everything is necessarily //easy// to deal with remembering.<</ghost>> <<celeste>>Ghost, I'm not reliving getting shot in the head. I'm just trying to remember Tsubame.<</celeste>> Ghost's eyes widen a little bit at the comment, but he takes it in stride. <<ghost>>Which may or may not have side effects that none of us predicted.<</ghost>> <<gray>>This whole process isn't exactly guaranteed not to have weird side effects either.<</gray>> <<celeste>>How many times are you going to explain it to me?<</celeste>> [[> You worry about Celeste.|Intro5]]

But this is his decision to make. <<tsubame>>Isa. Crow. This is a risk he's willing to take.<</tsubame>> Both of them deflate somewhat, and it seems like they won't be trying to argue any further. You know that they're just worried for Celeste. You are as well. He's put a great deal of emphasis on recovering his memories, and you wonder if he thinks that remembering will simply solve his problems. Which, unfortunately, is not the case. Remembering something unpleasant or even traumatic will bring its own share of issues, but Celeste is determined to live with it. <<gray>>Okay, just... Why don't you take a moment to prepare, okay? I'll... get this ready...<</gray>> Gray turns to the machine in question and starts tapping buttons and keys on it. You don't know enough about the thing to know whether he's actually doing something, or just stalling for time. You have some time before the procedure will start. You could talk to everyone once before this begins. [[> Speak to Celeste.|Intro6Cel]] [[> Speak to Gray.|Intro6Gray]] [[> Speak to Ghost.|Intro6Ghost]] [[> Wait until preparations are finished.|Intro8]]

You approach the hospital bed where Celeste is sitting up. He looks somewhat unhappy. <<tsubame>>Hey, Asa. Having second thoughts?<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Absolutely not.<</celeste>> You take his statement at face value. Celeste doesn't hide his feelings behind masks or careful words. A doctor whom you can best describe as "princely, but throws rocks." On the outside, he's the elegant, composed, and unfortunately the son of a noble family (one of the few you can say you //like//, thankfully). On the inside, he's kind, generous, and has zero hesitation to hit people with his umbrella for hurting others. He's a series of seemingly contradictory traits all wrapped up and held together with gold glasses and a purple hair tie. As far as life experiences go, the two of you go in the exact opposite direction in a few ways. It's caused some situations where he's been unable to understand your way of thinking, but never to such a severe degree that neither of you could agree with the other. Despite not fully understanding you, and not even remembering you, he supported you all throughout your struggle. He even patched you up when you got stabbed in the shoulder. <<celeste>>Do you realize how much time I spent denying that I knew you, just because I was too afraid to be wrong?<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>Approximately, yes.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Yeah, and I don't want to do that again. I want to remember and trust my own recollection. So... if you're okay with witnessing it too, I want your help.<</celeste>> [[> Ask him what he's worrying about.|Intro7CelWorry]] [[> Promise him that you'll help.|Intro7CelPromise]]

<<tsubame>>You sound like you know that there's something difficult hiding in your memory.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling. I think I'm forgetting something important but painful.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>You're ready to see that, right?<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Like I said, it's not about me remembering, it's about you having to see it. It's upsetting to see someone else go through something traumatic, especially for you.<</celeste>> You're fairly certain that it takes a severe amount of either hatred or apathy toward the suffering party not to care at all about them. Not that this is //morally wrong// or //unhealthy// given specific circumstances. Celeste has a point, though. Your high empathy will make it rough on you to see him hurt. <<tsubame>>But I'm here. I've made my decision, just as you made yours.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>True.<</celeste>> Celeste smiles at you. It's nice to see him happy. He takes your gloved hand and holds it against his chest for a moment, before letting you go. <<if not hasVisited("Intro6Gray")>>[[> Speak to Gray.|Intro6Gray]]<br><</if>>\ <<if not hasVisited("Intro6Ghost")>>[[> Speak to Ghost.|Intro6Ghost]]<br><</if>>\ [[> Wait until preparations are finished.|Intro8]]

<<tsubame>>If that's what you want, then I'll help you.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Only as long as you're okay with doing this. It can't be easy for you, either.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>This is important for you, and I can help you with it. I want to help. I'll do whatever I can to ease your pain.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>...You aren't doing this out of guilt, are you?<</celeste>> You aren't, but you realize that it might sound that way, now that you think about it. <<tsubame>>I'm doing this because I care about you. I'm not doing this out of obligation.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Okay.<br>...I love you, Tsubame.<</celeste>> You lean in and give Celeste a kiss on his forehead. He covers his mouth with his curled hand bashfully, but the edge of his smile is still visible. <<if not hasVisited("Intro6Gray")>>[[> Speak to Gray.|Intro6Gray]]<br><</if>>\ <<if not hasVisited("Intro6Ghost")>>[[> Speak to Ghost.|Intro6Ghost]]<br><</if>>\ [[> Wait until preparations are finished.|Intro8]]

Gray is setting up the last of the process on the computer linked to the sleep machine. He looks over his shoulder and smiles at you when you approach, and goes back to typing when you lean in to look at the screen with him. <<tsubame>>Everything going okay?<</tsubame>> <<gray>>Yeah, no problems with all the setup. It's not liking that there's no specific target, but it can work around it.<</gray>> Gray isn't a tech person by any means; he's a forensic pathologist, but his medical background and the straightforward nature of the sleep machine means he's best equipped to run it. He's your dear partner, and you trust him with your life. Things weren't always like this for the two of you, though. You've had a rotation of relationship changes from friends to rivals to enemies to allies to friends again to, now with everything finally okay for once, lovers. The danger that dragged you to your "death" had pulled Gray in as well, even though you tried to keep him safe. Manipulation from someone he trusted, hostility from someone who should have been his ally, an attempt on his life, badly juggling his emotions and an inability to process them, all wrapped up in a struggle much bigger than just Gray himself. All of that history aside, you've finally been able to enjoy more than just a single moment of peace with Gray. Now is the time to enjoy everything they want to, but there are a still a few loose threads left to tie together in your lives. You watch Gray work for a little while longer, a question gnawing at the back of your head. <<tsubame>>Isa, are you okay with this?<</tsubame>> Gray's fingers stop. <<gray>>Like you said, it's not my decision to make. I'm not a fan of doing it this way, but...<</gray>> He looks down at this hands curled over the keyboard, then starts working again. <<gray>>It'll help Cel. I already got on his nerves before insisting to him about... y'know, and he got really pissed off. So.<</gray>> [[> Ask him if he can handle this.|Intro7GrayAsk]] [[> Reassure him that it'll be okay.|Intro7GrayReassure]]

<<tsubame>>I'm not doubting you when I ask this, but are you sure you'll be okay? You don't have to run the machine. You can ask Ghost to do it instead.<</tsubame>> <<gray>>No, I got this. You're doing most of the work anyway. If anything goes wrong, I'll just yank the cord.<</gray>> You stare at Gray. <<gray>>Figuratively! Anyway... I'm fine. I'm just worried about you and Cel.<</gray>> <<tsubame>>We're in capable hands. I promise that I'll play it safe.<</tsubame>> Gray gives you a bit of a look at your choice of words, but he nods. <<gray>>Be careful, //mahal.//<</gray>> <<tsubame>>I will, my love.<</tsubame>> <<if not hasVisited("Intro6Cel")>>[[> Speak to Celeste.|Intro6Cel]]<br><</if>>\ <<if not hasVisited("Intro6Ghost")>>[[> Speak to Ghost.|Intro6Ghost]]<br><</if>>\ [[> Wait until preparations are finished.|Intro8]]

<<tsubame>>Even if this doesn't work, or something goes wrong, Celeste isn't going to be angry with you.<</tsubame>> <<gray>>I know... it's just, with this kind of risk, I want it to work. I don't want either of you to get hurt and show nothing for it.<</gray>> <<tsubame>>We both know what we're getting into.<</tsubame>> <<gray>>...That's the thing, you really don't. You can't possibly know, you're just... aware of some kind of risk.<</gray>> <<tsubame>>Dear.<</tsubame>> You take Gray's hand, and press a kiss to his knuckles. <<tsubame>>I'll be careful.<</tsubame>> The tightness in Gray's shoulders loosens just a little. He smiles and squeezes your hand in return. <<gray>>Okay. Yeah, I know you will.<</gray>> <<if not hasVisited("Intro6Cel")>>[[> Speak to Celeste.|Intro6Cel]]<br><</if>>\ <<if not hasVisited("Intro6Ghost")>>[[> Speak to Ghost.|Intro6Ghost]]<br><</if>>\ [[> Wait until preparations are finished.|Intro8]]

You approach Ghost, who is waiting for Gray to finish working by taking a little nap. He makes no indication of hearing you walk up, staying slumped in his seat. <<tsubame>>Are you okay?<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>It takes a lot more than commenting on severe head trauma to hurt my feelings.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>I thought he wouldn't say it if it did, but I wanted to check.<</tsubame>> Ghost confuses you a little. Over half of his life is wiped from his memory thanks to a bullet to the head, but he doesn't seem to miss what he lost. Whoever he was before is gone now, irretrievably so, and Ghost is perfectly fine with that. He's an information broker, although what he sells leans more on gossip and hearsay than fact. This doesn't keep nobles clamoring and clawing for more power over one another from paying truly ridiculous amounts of money for the barest scraps with which to plot another's social ruin. You would care about this if not for the fact that Ghost is a) swindling money from people who actively ruin society in a multitude of ways, b) essentially using the money to pay street orphans, servants, and struggling widows to gossip to him, and c) //Celeste's// boyfriend, and thus probably okay to trust. You've known him the shortest amount of time out of everyone present, so there's plenty about him that you're certain that you don't know yet. It doesn't help that Ghost was really, really awful at opening up emotionally. Ghost lifts his head, letting it tilt back so he can look up at you. <<ghost>>Am I really gonna be much of a help?<</ghost>> [[> Tell him that he will.|Intro7GhostHelp]] [[> Tell him not to worry about it.|Intro7GhostWorry]]

<<tsubame>>Of course you will. Gray needs an assistant to keep an eye on things, and one more set of eyes while I search will help me get through this faster.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>But it's not like I know how to work that machine, and I can't see much other than that little screen...<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>//Crow.//<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Sorry. Yeah, okay, maybe I'm worrying about this too much.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>You are.<</tsubame>> Blunt, but true. Ghost operates best when told so directly, and he has no feelings to be hurt by telling him when he's wrong. Well, he does have feelings, but he prefers blunt truth over someone trying to spare his feelings. <<ghost>>I'll do my best. I'm not... really used to being the support like this.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>No need to do anything extraordinary. Gray just needs an extra hand or voice sometimes.<</tsubame>> He seems satisfied with that. A good balance of "I'm useful and needed" and "I'm not expected to do more than I can handle" has calmed his nerves. <<if not hasVisited("Intro6Cel")>>[[> Speak to Celeste.|Intro6Cel]]<br><</if>>\ <<if not hasVisited("Intro6Gray")>>[[> Speak to Gray.|Intro6Gray]]<br><</if>>\ [[> Wait until preparations are finished.|Intro8]]

<<tsubame>>Even if you can't directly help Celeste, being here is helpful too.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Mmh.<</ghost>> He doesn't seem to believe you. <<tsubame>>Crow. I'm serious. This is going to be emotionally taxing on him. Even if the only thing you do here is hug him, that will help him.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>What about you?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>If I feel okay with being touched, a hug will also help me too.<</tsubame>> That's not what Ghost means in the slightest, but you're not going to let him ride this train of self-doubt. It's clear that he realizes you're not getting on either, so he lets it drop. <<ghost>>Okay, okay, I get it. Helping isn't just about being the cool knight with a sword, it's being the healer too...<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>Or the loveable rogue.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Am I?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>Loveable? Of course.<</tsubame>> Ghost turns pink as his face settles into a pinched fake-grimace. <<ghost>>Shut up, Shisa.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>Sorry, I didn't catch that. I was busy thinking about how loveable you are.<</tsubame>> That's enough teasing Ghost for now. He sinks deeper into his chair, arms crossed, grumbling about you and your good looks. <<if not hasVisited("Intro6Cel")>>[[> Speak to Celeste.|Intro6Cel]]<br><</if>>\ <<if not hasVisited("Intro6Gray")>>[[> Speak to Gray.|Intro6Gray]]<br><</if>>\ [[> Wait until preparations are finished.|Intro8]]

<<if not hasVisited("Intro6Cel") or not hasVisited("Intro6Gray") or not hasVisited("Intro6Ghost")>>\ You wait until Gray has finished fiddling with the memory machine, although it seems that he's waiting for Celeste to steel himself for the particularly emotionally invasive procedure.\ <br> <</if>>\ <<gray>>Alright... So, three memories, then. The absolute maximum with the least amount of risk.<</gray>> Gray picks up one of the electrical patches laid on the table, and turns it over in his hand. You can see the moment of hesitation as he peels the backing. He tucks Celeste's long bangs behind his ear, and sticks the patch firmly to Celeste's left temple. <<ghost>>Any idea as to what memories will come up?<</ghost>> <<gray>>Not really... Usually, this process is for reconstructing existing memories that are half-forgotten or confused with others. In that case, it's already a targeted memory. This doesn't have any targeting at all.<</gray>> <<celeste>>Anything is fine with me. It doesn't have to be big and important, it just has to be //something.//<</celeste>> You sit down in the cushioned chair next to Celeste's bed, ready for your part of the preparation. Gray takes another electrical patch and brushes your bangs out of your face, pressing it to your temple. It partially covers the scarring around your eye, and you can feel Gray's fingers pause when he smooths out the patch over your dimpled skin. Celeste nudges you with his elbow when it's done. You get a full view of his eye prosthesis with his bangs out of the way, the solid-black "sclera" and gold detailing standing out in stark contrast against the sterile white of the patch. <<celeste>>We match.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>Of course.<</tsubame>> He's nervous. You are too. You give each other little smiles to help with the jitters. Ghost watches the two of you, now sitting with both feet up on his seat and one knee up. His hands over his knee, his chin resting on his hands, he looks like a dog with its head on its paws. When you turn to him he looks away, but then glances just his eyes back in your direction. His face is blank; it's rare that he's too nervous to put up an assured front. [[> Give him a smile, too.|Intro9]]

He returns your smile, although it's a little strained. You can't blame him. The sleep machine makes a beeping noise, followed a mechanical whirr. You take it to mean that the preparation is finally done. You lean back in your chair and fold your hands over your stomach. <<gray>>Okay, I'm turning it on... This might feel a little uncomfortable.<</gray>> A sharp prickling sensation dances across your skin covered by the electrical patch, and suddenly you feel a wave of drowsiness hit you. You close your eyes, but a hand on your shoulder rouses you momentarily. It's Gray. <<gray>>You need to let me pull you out if it gets to be too much. Okay?<</gray>> You nod. A retriever can be removed by force, but not without risking trauma to both participants. As much as you want to continue until you get what you're looking for, you know better than to go too far for Celeste's sake, as well as yours. Celeste deserves the privacy of his own mind, and you realize just how deeply he must trust you all to allow you in to retrieve his memories. From the way his head is tilted slightly to the side on the pillow, you can tell that Celeste is already asleep. [[> Follow his lead.|DreamIntro]]

The scene is just as it had been the first time. You see Celeste sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, his head bowed as he catches his breath. <<tsubame>>Isa, where was Celeste when you found him?<</tsubame>> <<gray>>He was on the floor in the living room.<</gray>> <<tsubame>>So, I need to get him there somehow.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>What I don't get is how Tsubame can be in this memory at all.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>The guardians said this was the last time he saw me, not the other way around.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>That doesn't make any sense.<</ghost>> <<gray>>We need to think about this differently. So, Cel saw Tsubame, but Tsubame didn't see Cel?<</gray>> <<ghost>>So it's impossible that he actually saw Tsubame.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>Then it wasn't actually me.<</tsubame>> There’s a beat of silence from the other end of the connection. <<ghost>>What?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>It means Celeste saw what he thought was me, but it wasn't actually really me.<</tsubame>> <<gray>>But the problem is that there's nobody to mistake for you in the house.<</gray>> <<tsubame>>Were you the only one who went to his house that day?<</tsubame>> <<gray>>I think so.<</gray>> So it’s unlikely that Celeste saw any people other than Gray that day. You look around the foyer and connected hallway. To the left is a living room, and in the back is a kitchen and dining area. The stairs on your right go up to Celeste’s bedroom. There’s a wet umbrella left open on the tile of the foyer by the door, drying after use. [[> Close the umbrella.|TakiUmbrella][$turns += 1]] [[> Go upstairs.|TakiBedroom][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the kitchen.|TakiKitchen][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the living room.|TakiLiving][$turns += 1]]

You’re in the hallway. To the left is the living room, and in the back is the kitchen and dining area. The stairs on your right go up to Celeste’s bedroom.<<if not $umbrellaClosed>> There’s a wet umbrella left open on the tile of the foyer, drying after use.<</if>> <<if $celStatus isnot "checking">>Celeste sits on the bottom step of the stairs, his head bowed as he catches his breath.<br><br><</if>>\ \ <<if not $umbrellaClosed>>[[> Close the umbrella.|TakiUmbrella][$turns += 1]]<br><</if>>\ [[> Go upstairs.|TakiBedroom][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the kitchen.|TakiKitchen][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the living room.|TakiLiving][$turns += 1]]

<<set $umbrellaClosed to true>>\ You walk over to the umbrella, pick it up, and close it. It’s still wet, but you put it into the umbrella stand anyway. It drips water onto the wooden floor of the hallway, which you feel slightly bad about. [[> Go upstairs.|TakiBedroom][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the kitchen.|TakiKitchen][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the living room.|TakiLiving][$turns += 1]]

<<if $celStatus is "hiding">>You race up the stairs after Celeste. He’s surprisingly fast on his feet, despite his current weakened state. You see his bedroom door close just as you get to the top of the stairs, and you hurry over. Celeste himself is nowhere to be found. You do a quick glance around the room, but he isn’t here. You know for a fact that he ran into here, so there’s no place else for him to be. <<tsubame>>Asa? Asa, where are you?<</tsubame>> Predictably, you get no response.\ <<else>>You head up the stairs to Celeste’s bedroom. The room is exactly as you saw it last. His room is neat and orderly, save for the scrunched up mess of bed covers at the foot of his bed.\ <</if>> <<if $celStatus is "hiding">>[[> Check the closet.|TakiCloset]] <<else>><<if not $deskLooked>>[[> Look at the desk.|TakiDesk][$turns += 1]]<</if>> [[> Go to the foyer.|TakiHall][$turns +=1]] [[> Go to the kitchen.|TakiKitchen][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the living room.|TakiLiving][$turns += 1]] <</if>>

<<set $deskLooked to true>>\ You somehow expected Celeste’s furniture to be a little more ornate, but this is a rather plain fold-down desk that’s been left open. There’s a notebook laid on top. You feel a little apprehensive about looking at it, but anything to help you figure out the correct sequence of this memory is necessary, and Celeste did give you permission to look into his memories... It looks like there’s a small sketch with each entry. <<link ">> Turn two pages backward.">>\ <<popup "TakiPage2">>\ <</link>> <<link ">> Turn one page backward.">>\ <<popup "TakiPage1">>\ <</link>> <<link ">> Read the open pages.">>\ <<popup "TakiPage0">>\ <</link>> [[> Go to the foyer.|TakiHall][$turns +=1]] [[> Go to the kitchen.|TakiKitchen][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the living room.|TakiLiving][$turns += 1]]

You pull open the closet door, and see Celeste curled up in the corner. His head snaps up when the door opens, and he stares directly through you, wide-eyed. <<tsubame>>Asa? Asa!<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Who’s there? Please, just leave me alone...<</celeste>> When he sees nobody and hears no answer, he gets frantic. <<celeste>>I know someone’s there! Just take what you want and...<</celeste>> Celeste’s voice trails off, and eyes squeeze shut. He brings one hand to his head, eyes squeezing shut and brow furrowing. His upper body wavers dangerously, before he tips over completely. [[> Catch him!|TakiFailure]]

It’s a kitchen. Nothing particularly special about it, to be perfectly honest. <<if not $sinkBroken>>There are dishes piling up in the sink. It’s rather unlike Celeste to do that, but given that he’s going through what might have been the worst week of his life, it doesn’t surprise you. The dishes are, however, very precariously stacked, and nudging it slightly might cause the whole thing to collapse noisily. <<else>>The dish pile that you collapsed is in the sink. You think there might be some glass shards at the bottom.<br><br><</if>>\ \ There’s a teacup on a saucer on the table, left on the edge. There’s still some tea left in it, probably cold by now. Knocking this over would also cause quite the din. <<if not $sinkBroken>>[[> Knock over the dishes.|TakiSink][$turns += 1]]<br><</if>>\ <<if not $teacupBroken>>[[> Knock over the teacup.|TakiTable][$turns += 1]]<br><</if>>\ [[> Go upstairs.|TakiBedroom][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the foyer.|TakiHall][$turns +=1]] [[> Go to the living room.|TakiLiving][$turns += 1]]

<<set $sinkBroken to true>>\ You pull on one of the plates until the entire shifting weight of the stack gets to be too much. The smaller plates at the bottom of the sink clatter as the slide, and the entire stack of dishes tips over and crashes down. It’s quite the noise, and you think maybe a glass cup might be broken. <<tsubame>>That should do the trick.<</tsubame>> You hear a groan from the hallway, and wait for a while for Celeste to investigate the noise. But he doesn’t come; you peek out into the hallway and see the edge of his shawl, still poking out from the other side of the wall where the stairs are located. He hasn’t moved at all. <<ghost>>Is he not coming?<</ghost>> <<celeste>><div class="small">No. No no no. I’m not dealing with this right now.</div><</celeste>> <<ghost>>Well, dammit.<</ghost>> [[> Knock over the teacup.|TakiTable][$turns += 1]] [[> Go upstairs.|TakiBedroom][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the foyer.|TakiHall][$turns +=1]] [[> Go to the living room.|TakiLiving][$turns += 1]]

<<set $teacupBroken to true>>\ The cup and saucer hit the tile floor and shatter spectacularly. You take a step back to avoid the shrapnel, and watch the shards bounce across the floor guiltily. <<tsubame>>That was a nice teacup.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>It's already broken in real life, if this was the right option.<</ghost>> There’s silence for a moment, and then longer. Peeking out into the hallway, you can’t see the edge of Celeste’s shawl that you were certain you could see from the hallway earlier. You also can’t hear him, even though know you heard soft sniffles earlier. <<gray>>...I think you scared him.<</gray>> <<if not $umbrellaClosed>>\ <<set $celStatus to "hiding">>The silence continues, but is interrupted by rapid footsteps going up the stairs. <<gray>>Oh shit, you did scare him.<</gray>> God dammit.<br><br>\ <<else>>\ <<set $celStatus to "checking">>You see an arm slowly reach out for the umbrella stand, remove the umbrella that you closed earlier, then retract with umbrella in hand. There’s a moment of pause, and then you see Celeste round the corner holding the umbrella like a bat. <<gray>>Oh. Nevermind.<</gray>> Even when suffering from a high fever, there’s no stopping Celeste’s umbrella-bludgeon tendencies. <<ghost>>Well, he's up and motivated...<</ghost>> You watch as Celeste inspects his kitchen, looks sadly upon his teacup left shattered on the floor, then puts the umbrella down to lean against it. He nearly falls over when the umbrella slips. <<celeste>>Oh fuck. Okay, no, I can’t do this. I gotta...<</celeste>> He slowly limps toward the living room, grabbing onto the wall for support. <<gray>>Okay, this is the right track.<</gray>> <</if>>\ <<if $celStatus is "checking">>[[> Go to the living room.|TakiLiving]]\ <<elseif $celStatus is "hiding">>[[> Follow him upstairs.|TakiBedroom]]\ <</if>>

The living room is neatly-decorated, albeit more on the minimalist side. There’s a nice loveseat with a dark wood frame and rose-patterned upholstery, a matching dark wood coffee table with a half-finished letter and pen laying on it, \ <<if not $mirrorChecked>>an interesting mirror built into what looks like a three-panel divider\ <<else>>the mirror where you saw your reflection\ <</if>>\ , and a TV on a console with an upside-down wooden crate next to it (which you assume is hiding the massive mess of wires and cords). \ <<if $celStatus is "checking">>\ Celeste’s steps drag, and even with using his umbrella as a cane, his knees give out under him and he hits the carpet. You take two steps toward him, even though you know there’s nothing you can do. \ <<if $mirrorChecked>>However, you notice that Celeste is laying in view of the mirror. If he looks up, he would be able to see into it.<br><br>\ <<else>>You rush to his side, but are unable to do anything but watch him hiss in pain. He doesn’t try to get back up. Eventually the pain must subside, but he doesn’t move, just breathing in and out slowly. He raises his head to look around the room, but the table is out of reach to pull himself up with and his umbrella has rolled away. He shakes his head, lays it down, and mumbles something indistinct before he stops moving at all.<br><br>\ <</if>>\ <</if>>\ \ <<if $mirrorChecked and $celStatus is "checking">>[[> Stand in the mirror’s path.|TakiSuccess]]\ <<elseif not $mirrorChecked and $celStatus is "checking">>[[> Try to wake Celeste.|TakiFailure]]\ <</if>>\ <<if $celStatus is "none">> <<if not $letterRead>>[[> Read the letter.|TakiLetter][$turns += 1]]<br><</if>>\ <<if not $mirrorChecked>>[[> Check the mirror.|TakiMirror][$turns += 1]]<br><</if>>\ [[> Go upstairs.|TakiBedroom][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the foyer.|TakiHall][$turns +=1]] [[> Go to the kitchen.|TakiKitchen][$turns += 1]] <</if>>

<<set $letterRead to true>>\ You sit down on the couch to <<link ">>read">><<popup "TakiRead">><</link>> the partially-written letter laid on the coffee table. <<if not $mirrorChecked>>[[> Check the mirror.|TakiMirror][$turns += 1]]<br><</if>>\ [[> Go upstairs.|TakiBedroom][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the foyer.|TakiHall][$turns +=1]] [[> Go to the kitchen.|TakiKitchen][$turns += 1]]

<<set $mirrorChecked to true>>\ The mirror is tall, framed in beautiful dark wood and flanked on either side by two paper panels. The panels depict a crow on a bamboo branch on one side, and a rooster mid-stride on the other. The two animals are facing inward, as if looking at each other; a bird of the land, and a bird of the air. <<ghost>>Hey Doc, it's us.<</ghost>> <<gray>>I don't... think that's supposed to be us.<</gray>> <<ghost>>Why not?<</ghost>> <<gray>>Because Cel has probably had this since before he met either of us?<</gray>> You ignore their banter for now, and take a closer look at the mirror portion of the divider. <<gray>>Wait. Shin'ya, it's you.<</gray>> <<ghost>>You think?<</ghost>> <<gray>>I'm not talking about the birds. //Look.//<</gray>> You look at the mirror again, and see nothing but yourself. <<tsubame>>Yeah, it is me. But-<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Oh. Oh damn.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>...Isa, you're a genius.<</tsubame>> You, unseen by Celeste, can see yourself reflected in the mirror. Whether or not Celeste is able to see you as well is unclear, but it’s definitely worth giving it a shot. It’s the closest chance you’ll get. <<if not $letterRead>>[[> Read the letter.|TakiLetter][$turns += 1]]<br><</if>>\ [[> Go upstairs.|TakiBedroom][$turns += 1]] [[> Go to the foyer.|TakiHall][$turns +=1]] [[> Go to the kitchen.|TakiKitchen][$turns += 1]]

It pains you to leave Celeste on the floor, but you know that there’s nothing you can do for him right now. At least, not physically. You walk across the room and stand, looking at your reflection in the mirror. Thinking of a way to get Celeste’s attention, you knock your knuckles twice on the glass surface. Celeste’s head snaps up at the sound. He looks around the room, before his eyes settle on the mirror. He stares for a while, squinting, and for a moment you worry that he can’t see you. <<celeste>>...Tsubame?<</celeste>> You can hardly think of anything to say. \ <<if visited("TakiFailure") gt 4>>After so many attempts, you’d almost lost hope that you could even succeed. <</if>>\ You smile while you try to find your voice, and finally- <<tsubame>>Hello, Celeste.<</tsubame>> Celeste hesitates, and looks to where you’re standing in the room. He can’t see you, and to him all he would see is empty air. He turns back to the mirror, and you realize that he knows he’s hallucinating. It isn’t helped that without his glasses he can’t see very well, and he can probably only see an indistinct blur of your silhouette from where he is. <<tsubame>>Asa, please, it's okay.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>I’m seeing things. I keep seeing you. I know you’re not real.<</celeste>> There’s nothing you can say to refute that. You cast your eyes down, uncomfortable to see him look at you with such disdain. <<tsubame>>I'm sorry. <<if hasVisited("TakiLetter")>>I know you've been hurting, remembering me.<</if>><</tsubame>> <<celeste>>You never talk to me.<</celeste>> You lift your head, puzzled at his comment. Celeste closes his eyes, exhales loudly, then slowly pushes himself up onto his forearms. You watch as he slowly limp-crawls closer to the mirror, and lays down directly in front of it. You move closer as well, until you’re sitting right behind him. <<celeste>>Every time I see you like this, you don’t say anything. Why this time?<</celeste>> [[> Be honest.|TakiEnd1]]

<<set _i to visited()>>\ <<if settings.censor>>\ //[You have encountered a character death. You have chosen to censor character deaths in this game.]//\ <<elseif $celStatus is "hiding">>\ He goes straight through your arms, and hits the floor. <<tsubame>>No, no-<</tsubame>> He doesn’t move from where he lands, doesn’t even make any pained noises. All you hear is his shallow breathing, until eventually it stops. You fearfully put a hand on his shoulder, and ice shoots through your veins when you are able to touch the shawl on his shoulders. <<gray>>Shin'ya, let go of him.<</gray>> You do as Gray tells you, unwilling to torture yourself like this again.\ <<elseif not $mirrorChecked and $celStatus is "checking">>\ <<tsubame>>Celeste?<</tsubame>> Your hand sinks through his shoulder as you instinctively try to shake him awake, and you pull back. Your chest feels tight. <<tsubame>>Hey, wake up. Asa, please wake up.<</tsubame>> You don’t get any responses. If you can still touch him, it means that he’s still alive. He just needs to be alive when Gray arrives in the memory. If you can keep him awake for long enough... <<celeste>>...tired...<</celeste>> Celeste mumbles incoherently, unaware of your presence. His eyelids flutter, but it doesn’t seem like he’s truly understanding what he’s seeing. You lean forward to call his name again when he starts to stare at nothing, and your wrist bumps into his knee. You don’t register the touch until a few seconds later.\ <<elseif previous() is "TakiHall" or previous() is "TakiUmbrella">>\ A loud sniff catches your attention, and you turn around to see Celeste getting to his feet. <<celeste>>Is it still raining...?<</celeste>> He staggers to the front door, putting his ear against it. <<celeste>>Still, huh...<</celeste>> He reaches down to pick up his open umbrella, but he hisses in pain from the movement. Slowly gettind down onto his knees, he's able to take the umbrella in hand but struggles to get back to his feet. Eventually he gives up, too sore to fight his own knees. He sits down right there on the tile of the foyer, and leans forward until his forehead touches the door. <<celeste>>’m tired...<</celeste>> There’s nothing you can do but watch until his body goes limp. He collapses onto the tile, his head knocking into the floor, and you turn around completely to avoid seeing anything more.\ <<elseif previous() is "TakiBedroom" or previous() is "TakiDesk">> There’s an odd, rhythmic //thump// coming from downstairs. You leave the bedroom and look down from the bottom of the stairs, and are alarmed to see Celeste gone. You hurry down as quickly as you can, and round the corner to see him hitting his head against the staircase wall. <<tsubame>>Hey, stop that!<</tsubame>> Not that he can hear you. He keeps doing it, and you’re increasingly worried that he’s going to truly hurt himself. <<celeste>>All these footsteps... Where’s it coming from-!<</celeste>> He pulls his head back and slams it into the wall even harder, splitting the skin on his forehead. You recoil at the blood that cascades down his face, and it seems that he’s finally realized what he’s done as well. <<celeste>>It’s still there...<</celeste>> He wipes his forehead, smearing blood all over his hand and shawl. He tosses away the shawl when it gets tangled up in his hands, and you turn to retrieve it, hoping that it might stop his bleeding if you try. There’s one last very loud impact noise from behind you as soon as your fingers grab the shawl, followed by the sound of something sliding, and then silence. <<gray>>Don't turn around.<</gray>> You don’t dare.\ <<elseif previous() is "TakiKitchen" or previous() is "TakiSink" or previous() is "TakiTable">>\ You heard the sound of something shatter in the hallway. You run back into the hallway in a panic, and see Celeste lying on his side trying to sit back up. Around his hands are the remains of what you think might have been the glass vase. <<ghost>>Oh shit-<</ghost>> He’s not unaware of the mess, since he tries to avoid touching it. But he stares a little too long at the shards, until he reaches out slowly and picks up one particularly big piece. <<tsubame>>No, please put that d-<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Did it hurt when you died, Tsubame?<</celeste>> The lump in your throat feels like it’s about to choke you. <<celeste>>What did they do to you? I hope it didn’t hurt. I don’t want it to hurt.<</celeste>> He grips the glass shard harder, and you can see pinpricks of blood where the sharp corners pierce his skin. <<celeste>>This should scare me, but... is it because it's myself? Because I have something in my own hands? I know I shouldn’t, but I... I don’t know how else...<</celeste>> <<ghost>>Tsubame, //don't look//-<</ghost>> You turn around when you see Celeste raise the piece of glass up. He whimpers, gasping in pain, and you have no choice but to stand there listening to him cry until he stops.\ <<elseif previous() is "TakiLiving" or previous() is "TakiLetter" or previous() is "TakiMirror">>\ You hear a gasp, followed by the sound of heavy impacts against the stairs. Bewildered, you run back into the hallway. You don’t see Celeste by the stairs, but the noises suggest that he’s running up them. <<celeste>>It’s just the reflection, I saw it wrong, it’s not real-<</celeste>> His panicked voice is cut off by a sharp cry and a heavier //thump//, followed by a series of similar noises. You only make it halfway down the hall before you hear one last noise that sounds horribly like a //crack//. You take another step forward, but stop when you see an arm flung out at the bottom of the stairs, the rest of the body hidden by the wall against the stairs. The arm doesn’t move. <<tsubame>>...Celeste?<</tsubame>> There’s no response. You sharply turn your head away as you start to see something red spreading from behind the stair wall onto the wood of the hallway flooring.\ <</if>>\ There's a tense silence before anyone speaks. <<if $celStatus is "hiding">>\ <<ghost>>He was scared... but I've never seen him run away like that. He's always so ready to defend himself, he grabs whatever's in reach.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>I did something wrong.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>But that wasn't normal. I've had to take his umbrella away from him before to make sure he didn't get //too// reckless...<</ghost>> <<elseif $celStatus is "checking" and not $mirrorChecked>>\ <<gray>>He got to the living room, I know that's where I found him. Is something missing?<</gray>> <<tsubame>>I'll do a more thorough sweep.<</tsubame>> <<gray>>Don't push yourself.<</gray>> <<elseif $sinkBroken and not $teacupBroken>>\ <<ghost>>Doc, did you see anything in Celeste's place that was weird or wrong?<</ghost>> <<gray>>I didn't get a close enough look. I saw Cel and didn't bother checking anything else. I'm sorry.<</gray>> <<ghost>>Don't apologize. Just thought it might be worth asking.<</ghost>> <<elseif $deskLooked and not $mirrorChecked>>\ <<tsubame>>There was something about him seeing things. I assume he was hallucinating me, but he can't see me at all in this.<</tsubame>> <<gray>>I think... maybe it's not direct? I don't know, it seems like he wasn't hallucinating just you. Almost like he could only see part of you, or something that he thought was you.<</gray>> <</if>>\ [[> Try again.|TakiHall][$turns to 0; $celStatus to "none"; $umbrellaClosed to false; $deskLooked to false; $sinkBroken to false; $teacupBroken to false; $letterRead to false]]

<<tsubame>>I don't know. But I'm sorry that you're hurting so much for my sake.<</tsubame>> Celeste puts one hand on the mirror, and with how close the two of you are, you can see how pale his face is, how red his eyes are from crying. <<celeste>>I miss you so much.<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>I miss you too.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>I... I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything for you. I tried, I promise I tried, but-<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>Asa, don't say that. It's not your fault.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>I’m still sorry.<</celeste>> He rubs his eye, then reaches up to undo the laces on his eyepatch. It takes some time with his trembling fingers, but eventually the patch falls to the floor and Celeste rubs at his left eyelid, likely irritated from his tears. <<tsubame>>I know you miss me, but please don't give up.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>It hurts to remember you. I try not to think about you much, but... I’m afraid that I’ll.. forget you if I do. So I think about you... again, and it... hurts even more.<</celeste>> Celeste takes a slow, deep breath, and exhales. It seems like even breathing takes up a great deal of energy for him. <<celeste>>I don’t... know what to do.<</celeste>> You consider for a moment whether or not this is a good decision, whether you’ll break the continuity of the memory. But anything that will reassure Celeste will keep him alive here. [[> Comfort him.|TakiEnd2]]

<<tsubame>>You don't have to believe me when I say this, but you'll see me again. I promise.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>How?<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>Just trust me, you will.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>I can see you now... but it’s... not really you...<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>I promise that it'll really be me. I'll give you a hug, to prove it.<</tsubame>> Celeste’s eyelid droops even as he meets your gaze in the mirror. There’s a small spark in it that you didn’t see earlier. <<celeste>>...you promise?<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>I promise.<</tsubame>> Celeste lowers his head to the floor again, his cheek against the carpet, but there’s a small smile on his face. For a moment, he looks up at where you’re sitting, but then turns his gaze back to the mirror. <<celeste>>I’m... really tired...<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>I know. Just hold on for a little longer.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>Why?<</celeste>> <<tsubame>>If you hold on, I promise things will be okay.<</tsubame>> And as if on cue, there’s a sharp knocking at the front door followed by a muffled familiar voice. <<gray>>Cel?<</gray>> Celeste doesn’t seem to be paying attention. He keeps his eye fixed on the mirror, watching as you turn your head toward the door. You look back to the mirror, meeting Celeste’s eye. <<tsubame>>Don't worry about forgetting me. Just do what you need to until you feel okay again.<</tsubame>> The knocking on the door turns into a heavier pounding. <<gray>>Cel? Hey, Celeste! It’s Gray! Are you home? I heard you went home early, I just wanted to make sure you were okay!<</gray>> There’s a pause while Gray waits for an answer, and when none comes, you hear the door unlock. <<gray>>I’m gonna come in, okay? It’s just me.<</gray>> Gray doesn’t look like he’s been doing too well, himself. Your heart clenches in your chest at seeing his face when he comes into view, and the look of terror on his face when he turns toward the living room doesn’t help. <<gray>>Celeste!<</gray>> [[> Move out of the way.|TakiEnd3]]

You know that you don’t need to, but you hastily get to your feet as Gray rounds the couch and falls to his knees by Celeste’s side. <<gray>>Oh fuck, oh fuck... Cel, Celeste, can you hear me?<</gray>> Celeste stirs and mumbles something under his breath. Gray lets out the breath he was holding, and touches Celeste’s cheek. <<gray>>Hey, Celeste? What happened? Are you hurt?<</gray>> <<celeste>><div class="small">No... ’m fine...</div><</celeste>> <<gray>>Why are you on the floor? What’s wrong?<</gray>> <<celeste>><div class="verysmall">...’m tired...</div><</celeste>> <<gray>>What?<</gray>> Gray carefully puts his hand to Celeste’s forehead, and recoils immediately. <<gray>>Oh my god.<</gray>> <<celeste>><div class="verysmall">Gray...?</div><</celeste>> <<gray>>Yeah, it’s me, I’m here. Please just stay awake, I’m...<</gray>> Gray fumbles in his coat pocket for a moment before pulling his phone out one-handed, his other hand left on Celeste’s shoulder. He punches three digits, and you can hear a repeated string of impatient murmurs under his breath while he waits for the call to connect. You hear the front door creak open. When you look, you can’t see anything beyond the door, but you know that your work here is done. [[> Exit.|End1]]

<table id="notebook"> <tr> <td> I looked in the mirror this morning and thought I saw someone standing in the hallway. It was probably just my shadow on the wall, but I’m not that tall. I think I’m losing my mind. </td> <td><img src="BBimg/shadow.png" class="centertable"></td> </tr> </table>

<table id="notebook"> <tr> <td> I finally started on the letter I meant to send Kaamii. I dated it earlier so he wouldn’t worry. Hopefully he’ll believe that the mail got there late. It’s funny. I was so ready to leave home and be somewhere that wasn’t anywhere near the estate, but even Cogshore was closer to home than I thought. I used to think it was annoying that Kaamii could literally just come see me whenever he felt like it, or if Solana or my parents asked him, but I don’t really mind the proximity now. I guess it was enough just to not live with them anymore. I wouldn’t say that I’m homesick, but I kind of wish I could go back home for a bit. Not that long, just long enough that I could stop thinking about all of this. Maybe I’ll take a break after all. It won’t solve everything, but not seeing a violin for a while might help me not start crying for no reason. Or not. I don’t know how mental associations work. I’m not a psychologist. I don’t know if avoiding it will make it better or worse. </td> <td><img src="BBimg/asagao.png" class="centertable"></td> </tr> </table>

<table id="notebook"> <tr> <td> I keep getting aches like I have a cold, but I don’t have a fever and my throat feels fine. It’s probably just stress, but I just can’t focus so I’m taking tomorrow off. The director looked less annoyed when I told him I felt bad getting paid for coming in when I wasn’t actually getting any work done. It’s all about the wording, isn’t it? Of all the things to miss, I miss seeing Kaz. He was such a funny little cat, but he got along surprisingly well with Kanon. Is it just an old wives’ tale that cats and dogs don’t like each other? I wonder if they miss Tsubame too. I wish I could tell them what happened, I don’t want them to think he abandoned them. It’s pointless though, they’re animals. They wouldn’t understand anything other than that Tsubame’s gone. </td> <td><img src="BBimg/kaz.png" class="centertable"></td> </tr> </table>

To Kaamii, Are you doing well? I hope my parents aren’t giving you a hard time keeping up with me. Maybe at some point we can convince my parents that I don’t need to keep writing back to you so much. I know it’s your job to guard me, but I’m a full-grown adult and I’m sure there are other things that you want to do professionally that don’t involve making sure I’m not dead. Everything’s going better than I thought it would. I know you mean well when you ask, but I’m trying my best to avoid thinking about it. I think that’s going to help me the most right now. Once I feel okay again, maybe you can come visit. I wish you could have met him. He was so nice. A little bit like you, if you were okay with a little chaos sometimes. And there I go writing an entire three sentences about Tsubame after saying I didn’t want to talk about him. It’s hard. I don’t want to forget him, but it hurts a lot to remember, but once I do I can’t stop. The only way to avoid this is not to think about him for now, I guess. I wonder if

This is Celeste’s home. You’re standing in the foyer. There’s a shoe shelf with shoes, //zori// sandals, and a few pairs of lace-up boots that Celeste likes to wear constantly. A wet umbrella is placed open on the foyer's tile floor, drying out next to a large glass vase. At your feet, you see a pair of no-lace rubber sole shoes haphazardly tossed across the tile. There's a staircase with a solid wall separating it from the rest of the hallway. Further down the hall, a jacket lays on the floor. <<gray>>That's Cel's, right?<</gray>> You step up onto the wooden flooring, feeling a twinge of discomfort at walking inside with your shoes on. Approaching the jacket, you notice that one sleeve is inside-out, as if its wearer had pulled it off in a hurry. You leave the jacket there, and look around. The hallway branches into a few rooms, and you can see a kitchen and a living area from here. <<tsubame>>Where is Celeste, though?<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Try his bedroom. Upstairs, to the left.<</ghost>> You don’t remember the layout of Celeste’s house too well; you’ve only been here a few times. You take Ghost’s advice, and head up. There are no noises downstairs that suggest that anyone is home, but a closed door and the distance of one floor is probably enough to muffle the sound. As you approach the top of the stairs, you can hear something. Following it leads you to a closed door at the end of the second-floor hallway. Someone is sobbing. [[> Open the door.|TakiIntro2]]

Thankfully, the door is unlocked. You notice that this is a bedroom. Probably Celeste’s, from all of the purple decoration and the fact that Celeste is laying in bed face-down, curled up with a pillow in his arms. <<tsubame>>Asa...<</tsubame>> He makes no indication of having heard you. Approaching him, you kneel down and try to put a hand on his shoulder, only for your fingers to fall straight through. You pull back in alarm. Celeste doesn’t move, continuting to cry into his folded arms. <<tsubame>>This a memory about me? When did this happen?<</tsubame>> Celeste lifts his head and wipes his eye. His glasses are off and he’s wearing his eyepatch; a rare thing to see, given how much he likes his prosthesis. <<gray>>...oh.<</gray>> A noise goes off, startling both you and Celeste. It’s his phone, ringing in the pocket of his scrub shirt. He fumbles to get it out, checking the screen for the caller ID, and picks up. <<celeste>>Hey.<</celeste>> You can vaguely hear the words coming through from the other side. You catch little snippets, but it’s difficult to tell who is calling or about what. Celeste pulls the phone away from his face to let out a rather loud sniff. <<celeste>>Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Oh, yeah. No, it’s okay. I do not sound like I was just crying.<</celeste>> The look on Celeste’s face darkens, and he squeezes his eyes shut. <<celeste>>Listen, I’m fine, okay? No. Look, I’m busy, I can’t talk right now. I’m sorry. I’ll call you later. I promise. Yeah, you can rob me if I don’t.<</celeste>> You hear a sharp inhale from Ghost or Gray. It’s hard to tell who exactly. <<celeste>>Love you. I gotta go, I’m serious. Yeah. I love you. Ba-bye.<</celeste>> He hangs up, and promptly tosses his phone across the room. <<celeste>>Fuck.<</celeste>> [[> See what Celeste does.|TakiIntro3]]

Celeste looks awful. His eyes are red from crying, and his face is pallid. He slowly gets out of bed, although he sways dangerously for a moment before regaining his balance. He yanks a shawl blanket off of the back of his desk chair and throws it over his shoulders, pulling it tight around him before walking toward the door. You instinctively step out of his way even though there’s no need, and follow him as he makes his way to the stairs. <<celeste>>Goddammit.<</celeste>> He puts one hand on the handrail, takes a cautious step down, and manages to do it without falling. Satisfied with this, he slowly descends with only a few moments where he has to grab the railing to keep from taking a tumble. Once both feet are on flat ground, he sits down at the bottom step, exhausted. <<celeste>>We couldn’t do anything. //I// couldn’t do anything. Maybe there was nothing we could do. This... this was all doomed from the start, probably. Even if we could prove you were innocent, it would have all been for nothing, wouldn’t it? They’d just burn it all and hang you anyway.<</celeste>> He’s talking about you. He isn’t wrong. You know how deep that corruption ran. In the end, it was only your escape that prevented your death; your friends and family had no power to save you from the noose around your neck. <<celeste>>I miss you, Tsubame. Gray misses you. I know your other friends miss you. I know your family misses you.<</celeste>> You move around him so that you’re sitting in front of him. He stares at his hands, your presence unknown. <<tsubame>>I'm right here.<</tsubame>> <<celeste>>You’re gone. I’m never going to see you again. All that’s left of you is what everyone remembers of you, and remembering you just hurts.<</celeste>> Celeste shakes his head. You know that he’s not responding to your words. [[> Try to talk to him anyway.|TakiIntro4]]

<<tsubame>>I'll come back. It'll be alright.<</tsubame>> Celeste makes a move as though he’s going to get up, and you take a step back to give him space that he doesn’t really need. But as he turns to get around the banister, he stumbles. He falls onto his side on the floor, breathing hard and hissing in pain. <<tsubame>>Asa-<</tsubame>> Your hand goes right through him when you try to help him. Celeste doesn’t get back up. He lies there, staring ahead blankly, blinking occasionally. His ponytail hangs loosely across his neck. There’s nothing at all in his gaze; it’s as though he’s just a shell. <<celeste>>Tsubame...<</celeste>> [[> Help him.|TakiIntro5]]

You can’t touch him directly. The jacket from earlier is still on the floor, and you swipe it to drape over Celeste. The jacket falls on him, but it’s as if he doesn’t even notice it move. <<tsubame>>Hey, come on. You need to get up. Shit, where's your phone-<</tsubame>> It’s upstairs, tossed to a corner of Celeste’s room. Celeste’s eyes are closed now, and you watch as his fingers curl into a loose fist against the wood floor. Leaving him there is excruciating, but you race back up the stairs, down the hallway, and look desperately around the room. You notice the slim yellow plastic case, but discover to your dismay that the screen has a massive crack in it. It must have been broken when he threw it earlier. You try the buttons and the touchscreen, but nothing responds. You stuff the phone into your pocket and hurry back downstairs. You kneel down next to him where he lays shivering and sniffing, looking as miserable as possible. <<celeste>><div class="small">Is this how I’ll see you again?</div><</celeste>> [[> HELP HIM.|TakiIntro6]]

You place the phone down in front of Celeste, well within reaching distance. He doesn’t respond to it. You reach out to take his hand; yours slides directly through his form. His breathing starts to slow, and you know that it isn’t from calming down. <<tsubame>>Asa. Please, Asa, come on...<</tsubame>> He stops breathing. It takes time, an excruciating amount of time, as you watch Celeste helplessly with your hands sinking through his form. You think Gray and Ghost might be speaking to you, but nothing comes through to you as coherent words. Maybe they aren’t even speaking coherently either; maybe they’re just crying. A few tears slip from under Celeste’s eyelids. Eventually, those stop too. <<tsubame>>Asa! Celeste! PLEASE, //CELESTE-//<</tsubame>> [[> HELP HIM HELP HIM HELP HIM|TakiIntro7]]

<<if settings.censor>>\ //[You have encountered a character death. You have chosen to censor character deaths in this game.]//\ <<else>>\ The memory is cruel. It lets you know the exact moment that Celeste dies, because your hands are ejected back as if being shoved at by an invisible force, and you topple backwards. You’re dazed for a moment, but you scramble back to his side to touch his shoulder. His skin is still warm, but you can tell, from the sheer stillness, that it is only residual. You push harder; there is no give. Your hand does not sink through, just like the inanimate objects you have touched. A corpse, after all, is but an object too. You sit on the floor for a moment, staring at the scene before you, and your chest burns as your breathing stops as well, just like Celeste’s. <</if>> [[> You couldn’t help him.|TakiIntro8]]

Celeste is dead. You may shake him all you like, but he is still dead. You may call out his name, but he is still dead. The ability to touch him is proof enough that he is no longer alive, that there is nothing you can do to wake him again. Celeste is dead, and you couldn’t stop it. <<linkreplace "> You failed.">> <<dialog>> <<gray>><div class="big">''//SHIN'YA!//''</div><</gray>> <<onclose>> <<goto "TakiIntro9">> <</dialog>> <</linkreplace>>

<<tsubame>>Isa.<</tsubame>> You pull your hands away from Celeste’s body, still dazed. You can’t stop staring, but you’re reminded now with Gray’s voice that this is a not real. Upsetting, horrifying, traumatizing to all hell, but still not real. Celeste is fast asleep next to you in reality, and all that needs to be one to bring him back is to rouse him from his nap. <<gray>>Shin'ya, you need to get out. You don't need to do this. You can wake up.<</gray>> His voice is sharp, although without harshness. <<tsubame>>Not yet.<</tsubame>> <<gray>>Not yet?! You-<</gray>> <<tsubame>>Isa, listen to me. I can do this. I need to do this for Celeste. I know what you're going to say, but if I can't prove to those guardians that I can handle this, then I can't do anything for Celeste.<</tsubame>> Ghost is quiet, not having said a word since the start of the warped memory. <<tsubame>>I understand if you can't deal with this. You too, Ghost. If this is too much, I'll do it by myself. But I can't stop here, not if it's going to help Celeste.<</tsubame>> There’s silence for a long while, and you close your eyes. You will already remember this; you don’t want to see much more of it. <<ghost>>You need to fix this memory too, right?<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>I think so.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>Which means you'll see it again. Maybe multiple times.<</ghost>> <<tsubame>>I know.<</tsubame>> <<ghost>>...Can you go back outside? I don't want to see much more of this.<</ghost>> You’ve experienced the warped memory that the guardians told you to bear. If you return to them, then they should allow you to look further into Celeste’s other buried memories as well. You stand, avoiding the body on the floor. You came in through the front door, so you should probably go back that way to leave. [[> Exit.|DreamHub]]

Hi! Thanks for playing (and finishing) my game! This IF project has gone through several versions, each one refining the last, and I think I'm finally done with doing that. It's been a big part of me learning how to use Twine and how to create a playable game rather than just an interactive novel (although this one is still light on the "I" and heavy on the "F"), while also developing two of my biggest characters. Some credits and thanks: * Tsubame and Gray were created by my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/grandreturn">@grandreturn</a> on twitter. * This game uses a few custom Sugarcube macros created by Chapel (and specific thanks for making the speech box macro, which has added a huge layer of nice polish to an otherwise entirely text game). * The Sugarcube format is developed and updated by TMEdwards/TheMadExile, who was also a very patient help regarding how to fix broken code ==and "issue between keyboard and chair" errors==. * The Twine discord server was a frequent source of help, especially users Akjosch, Cyrus Firheir, and GwenTastic. * Thanks to my several bugtesters who very patiently waited for me to update completely broken code so that they could actually play the game. * One last big thanks to @grandreturn for making Tsubame and Gray, and being a very patient bugtester and fun person to bounce ideas around with. A few fun facts about this game: * Tsubame, Gray, and Celeste went through name changes, which is why older versions give different given/middle/family names for them. * I wrote the first version of this game portraying Celeste as Tsubame and Gray's friend. Someone asked "hey are they gay" and then my friend and I decided they were boyfriends. Sometimes a family is four boyfriends and their polygender kid. * I really wanted to include character portraits for this game since it's kind of important to me that all of the named characters are people of color, but alas, it was way too many sprites for me to make. I guess I'll settle for telling you that they're all people of color. * Despite being Celeste's boyfriend, Ghost didn't show up in the earlier versions of this game due to not knowing where to put him. Sorry Ghost. * I'm very mad that I couldn't find a place to include that Tsubame's sword Saiai ("beloved") is named for Gray. * Kaamii, mentioned in the letter left in the living room, is Celeste's bodyguard and close friend. It's a good thing that I didn't have to make an emblem for him, since his theme color is ''bright fuchsia''. * Tsuki and Hichii are named after the Japanese and Okinawan/Ryuukyuuan words for "moon", respectively. I hope you had fun playing this. I had fun remaking this game three entire times, coming up with expanded content every time. If you'd like to talk to me, I'm active on twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ghostchibi">@ghostchibi</a>. <<return "< Return">>

Gray notices Iris hovering by the stairs, looking toward the living room. Curious, he keeps watching, but Iris doesn't make any indication of trying to move. He keeps staring at the couch where Tsubame and Celeste are sitting, fast asleep. "Are you okay?" Gray asks, and Iris jumps at the sudden question. He turns around, relaxing somewhat when he sees that it's just Gray. "Are... are they okay?" Iris looks to the couch again. Celeste has one hand holding loosely to Tsubame's sleeve, while Tsubame leans the other way. Too much touch is overwhelming for Tsubame, but even the smallest amount of proximity is enough comfort for Celeste. "Oh." Nobody has yet to explain what happened to Iris, mainly out of exhaustion. All the poor lad knows is that they did something to help Celeste remember, and then a few hours later everyone came home looking to various degrees like they'd been mentally run over by a steam roller. "Yeah, they'll be fine. They're tired." "What happened?" "A lot." "I don't get to know?" Iris might be almost an adult, but he's still got a petulant side to him. Gray ruffles his hair. "We'll tell you when they wake up. I mean it when I said it was a lot," Gray explains. "And I'd rather that they do it." "That sounds like you're trying to avoid telling me," Iris accuses. Gray sighs. "Why are you like this with me?" he asks. "Because you of all the clowns I know, you're the entire circus." "//Iris!//" Perhaps Iris is right, given that Gray keeps letting him get away with saying things like that. <<return "< Return">>

"This feels so invasive." Ghost leans sideways until his shoulder touches Gray's, and then keeps going until Gray pushes him back to keep them both from falling over. Ghost gets a brief annoyed look for his annoying behavior. "We were given permission. We were //asked// to do this, remember?" Ghost replies, glancing at Gray. Gray doesn't look back, keeping his eyes on the console to ensure that the sleep machine is syncing up correctly. "Hey, c'mon. I'm being serious. You're worrying about something you don't need to." "Cel doesn't remember what we're seeing. He doesn't know what we're going to see. What if he doesn't want us to see some of the things we do?" Ghost turns so that he's sitting sideways in his chair, and puts his hand across the monitor to block it out. Gray gives Ghost another irritated look, but he's looking at Ghost now, which had been Ghost's intention. He takes the opportunity to put both hands on Gray's face, which doesn't improve the annoyance issue but it does get Gray's undivided attention. "Doc. Does Celeste know that we might see something deeply personal to him, something that he doesn't remember?" "Well, yeah-" "And did he ask us to help him remember these, knowing that we might see something deeply personal to him?" "Yes, but-" "And did you and I both explain to him that he has no idea what we're going to see, and thus has no idea what might be hiding in his head that he doesn't want us to see?" "Ghost, will you let me go already?" Gray snaps. Ghost obliges him, but doesn't stop talking. "I understand why you're worried, but Celeste already told us that he understands. Besides, it's not like we could do this without that problem. And there's nobody pressuring him to remember. Hell, all of us told him to //stop// worrying about remembering. There's an entire every single day from here on out to make memories, but he wants to do this." Ghost's very odd wording gives Gray pause, but it's hard to refute what he's saying. "I know," Gray says. "But that doesn't mean I feel good about seeing things I wasn't meant to see." "Yeah, you and me both," Ghost sighs, looking over to the bed where Celeste is deep in slumber. "I know I wouldn't want to do this for myself." "Would you want to remember us again if you forgot?" Gray asks, his eyes on the monitor again. Ghost is silent for a few seconds. "I'd like to get to know you guys all over again. I don't know if I'd be the same person after forgetting. It would help to think of me as someone new, instead of being upset over not being able to go back to how things used to be." "I guess." <<return "< Return">>

Two guardians lounge about in a pond-side courtyard, warming their bodies in the sun. The horned one raises is head and yawns, showing off is mouth full of sharp teeth. A woodswallow scans the ground from a tree branch, searching for prey. "That bird looks familiar," the horned one says to its pointed-ear companion. "A woodswallow. Leave it be," the pointed-ear one replies lazily, not opening its eyes. "Not a good familiar. A bad familiar," the horned one insists. "You should chase it away." The pointed-ear one finally opens its eyes and watches the woodswallow. It's not doing anything in particular, and poses no significant threat to either of the guardians. Still, the pointed-ear one rises to its feet, shakes out its mane, and lets out a low growl. "You! Leave, before I eat you," the pointed-ear one roars, catching the woodswallow's attention. "Do not test me, bird." The woodswallow tilts its head at the two guardians, but doesn't move. The horned one watches as the pointed-ear one stalks toward the tree and slams both front paws into the trunk, shaking the tree violently. The branches shudder and the woodswallow nearly loses its footing, but catches itself and manages to take flight. Unconvinced that the bird has left, both guardians scan the skies for a sign of the intruder. A little while later, the two are satisfied that they have done their duty. They settle down in the grass again, closing their eyes, the wind ruffling their fur while the sun gently warms their bodies. The woodswallow, unconcerned by the guardians, returns to the same branch. <<return "< Return">>

<<character 'celeste' 'BBimg/CelesteEmblem64.png'>> <<character 'ghost' 'BBimg/GhostEmblem64.png'>> <<character 'gray' 'BBimg/GrayEmblem64.png'>> <<character 'tsubame' 'BBimg/TsubameEmblem64.png'>> <<character 'tsuki' 'BBimg/TsukiEmblem64.png'>> <<character 'hichii' 'BBimg/HichiiEmblem64.png'>> <<character 'iris' 'BBimg/IrisEmblem64.png'>> <<set $censor to false>> <<set $ghostHintPsgs to ["GhostHint1", "GhostHint2", "GhostHint3", "GhostHint4"]>> <<set $grayHintPsgs to ["GrayHint1", "GrayHint2", "GrayHint3", "GrayHint4"]>> <<set $p to "">> <<set $turns to 0>> <<set $celStatus to "none">> <- should be either "none", "checking", or "hiding" <<set $umbrellaClosed to false>> <<set $deskLooked to false>> <<set $sinkBroken to false>> <<set $teacupBroken to false>> <<set $letterRead to false>> <<set $mirrorChecked to false>> <- once set to true, should not revert except on story restart <<set $promise to "">>

<<silently>> <<if Story.get(passage()).tags.includes("tsubame")>> <<if ($turns is 8) and ($celStatus is "none")>><<goto "TakiFailure">><</if>> <</if>> <</silently>>

<img src="BBimg\title.png" class="centertitle"> <div class="center"><h2>[[Start Game|Intro1]] [[How to Play|HtP]] <<if recall('finish', false) is true>>[[Extras]]<br><</if>>\ </h2></div>

This game is text-based. Advancing through the game is done by clicking links. Links with one angle bracket in front of them (>) indicate that the link will advance the game to another passage. Links with two angle brackets in front of them (>>) indicate that the link will either reveal new text or open a modal popup, without advancing to another passage. Modal popups can be closed by clicking the [x] in the top right, or clicking off of the popup box. There is no time-based detection in this game, so speed will not affect gameplay. Once you finish the game, return to the home screen for access to extras. Click the arrow button on the top left to show the sidebar. There are several buttons here: * The SAVES button will allow you to save or load your game. * The SETTINGS button will allow you to toggle light/dark mode and show/hide character death scenes. __CONTENT WARNINGS__ Please note the following content warnings for this game (* denotes mentions only): * Ableism * Abuse* * Amnesia/memory loss * Assault* * Character death (not permanent, varies in violence, some are indirectly witnessed) * Depression* * Eye removal (surgical)* * Facial injury (description of injury situation) * Hallucinations (visual and auditory) * Hospitalization* * Near-death experience * Severe illness * Suicide/suicidal ideation <<return "< Return">>

[[> A note from the creator|Blake]] [[> A worried son asks about his fathers|Iris-Gray]] [[> Before the dream starts|Gray-Ghost]] [[> Two lion-dogs and a swallow|Tsuki-Hichii]] <<return "< Return">> /*