You Find Yourselves Stirred By A Voice....

[strangerpeople]

[You feel as you are on a fluffy cloud of warmth and the urge to not want to move is great. However, the voice speaks again as if it is urgent...and maybe angry?]

Damn brats! Get off the merchandise before I call security on you!

[Oh. Well.

When you come to, the familiar scenes of your bedrooms fill your sight. However, the barriers are gone and strangest of all, there are people around. They can SEE you and for sure, they are gawking at the weirdos that are somehow sleeping in department store beds. But on the hands of Croix and Chariot, there's something on their hands...a phone number and a message saying 'Call me! :D' from some weird girl with an A name. But when you finally move and get away from any nosy customers, you have to wonder 'What just happened?' 'Is everyone ok?'

And why do you have the urge to go visit Cafe MYJL?]

Comments

[notgentle]

[Dio is absolutely running at full tilt, clattering his oversized black dress shoes (?) in an apparently tailored suit (??) that is nevertheless at least a good six inches too short for him (???). He screeches to a halt, supporting himself against the nearest pillar with one hand, and the other paws over his own face, which is imminently familiar to the survivors, top hat and all.]

Yes! [He whoops like a refugee from a holiday special for twelve-year-old boys in the 1950s.] It might be heresy and the wrong date but this is a Christmas miracle!

[If that's too surreal for you, eventually he's found the cheapest black button down and gray slacks within reach and has a superficial gregarious attitude around the other participants.]

Hey. I need like sixteen servings of fries ten minutes ago. It's on me.

[ourmagic]

Dio!

[ Holy shit. She is so happy. Sorry, you're getting a hug too. ]

I'm so glad to see you! ... You look ridiculous!

[ She laughs a little as she says it, it's fond. ]

I meant everything I said... and I'm so glad we did it.

[notgentle]

?????????

[When she first gets that close, Dio reacts with the tense shoulders and dilated eyes that Chariot might well recognize from the social service elements of her education studies. He presses his lips together, denying voice to undignified noises like "eeps", get a his arms up high enough to push her but manages to correct course into a stiff pat on both shoulders and finally brushing a hair out of her face with his thumb, winking down at her with bravado.]

Didn't think I would go down any easier than the others, did you? C'mon.

[ourmagic]

[ She recognizes it, thus is quick to let go. She has a lot of questions for Dio... but she feels now may not be the time to bombard the poor man. ]

Obviously not.

[notgentle]

[Dio puts his free hands on his hips.]

I'll have you know I was just as straight with you too.

[He jerks his thumb at his chest.]

The three doors unlocked? That was all us.

[ourmagic]

I knew all of you guys would be able to do it. I didn't have any doubt.

[ She sounds quite proud. ]

[notgentle]

It really was a team effort. Who knew detectives could pick locks? Or find jewelry of all things to use.

[Sigh...]

I know it's not what's important in life, but there was just so much NICE STUFF here. Everything was so easy when it came to getting enough food and things like that.

[ourmagic]

Are you really financially insecure, Dio? You know, I wouldn't be against helping you...

[incrediblystressedout]

...what the hell are you wearing?

[Sorry. There are some things even more confusing than resurrection.]

[notgentle]

I'll have you know this is for FIGHTING NOISE. God, I have so much to school you guys about. Does anyone who didn't die even know how much longer it takes to line up a level three fusion?

[incrediblystressedout]

I had a pretty ridiculous fighting outfit too, but how do you move in that thing?

[notgentle]

It's more for defense, okay? And in the underground it fit the body they gave me.

[incrediblystressedout]

Huh. You got a different body when you died? What exactly were you guys doing over there, fighting Noise all the time?

[notgentle]

I lost my own body as my entry fee, they had to give me something else to work with. ...It's not so important to the main event, uh.

We did have to fight noise a lot. God, your blocks were actually pretty great? Because I was surprised you even just held out for that amount of time. Six whole humans against an angel is still asking for a shitload of trouble, you gotta understand.

[incrediblystressedout]

Yeah, I'm still not much of a fighter, but apparently I survive really well? Or something like that. It's what I needed to do here, I guess. Ursula, Croix, and the boys were really amazing, though.

[scienceofmagic]

[ Chariot isn't the only one giving out hugs, tbh. You're getting one from her, too. ]

...That hungry, huh?

[notgentle]

[He is at first outright shocked to be getting hugged, then fails to suppress an unrelated resentful glare as he leans in to loosely hug her with his head over her shoulder, and finally he forces a smile back.]

Besides, I figure it's my last chance to spend that monopoly money.

[scienceofmagic]

Enjoy it. I'm sure it's worth it.

[ When he does release him... Well. ]

...I'm glad to see all of you. Even you.

[notgentle]

Oh, yeah? Even me? That's sweet.

[As sweet as a lemon.]

Helena too, then? Wow.

[His smile is volatile.]

I mean, she did something worse than murder. She didn't call me a complete bastard on command. You're a real saint forgiving her for that.

[scienceofmagic]

...I understand if you hate me. But I can't judge your actions. Not after everything I've done back home and here. Helena... Helena did something that took real courage. ...Courage I didn't have until far too late.

[ ...She wanted to save Chariot. That was what was important to her. ]

...Little by little, my horizons expanded. I was wrong about a lot of things. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to make amends to everyone. ...That includes you. But I am glad that you've got another chance. ...I meant what I said when I was going to do everything within my power to save everyone I could. I'm just glad that things turned out okay.

alcohol mention

[notgentle]

[By the time Croix calls Helena courageous and hits her stride in the conversation, Dio has tossed aside his ironic leer for a look that while not friendly at least conveys intense concentration. There is silence, and then he speaks.]

Croix, you are a coward.

[He just lets that consuming cold contempt sink in for a second.]

But. I can't call you a totally worthless coward. You have been getting some shit done. I used to think that anyone who changed their convictions was weak and pathetic... now I can get behind a little of that changing and growing information jazz you were going on about. Some people have really stupid convictions and need to get over those, apparently.

[He does not name names and turns his back on her.]

Hey, back then, I told your little girlfriend that "my guardian angel" should get a drink. I guess I can't take it back now that I know who you are.

puns incoming next tag.......

[beguiledcard]

[ ... There's something to be said about seeing a guy you'd mourned, in spite of not fully getting to know... up and about?

He'd felt god-awful thinking back to how he'd been so quick to push during that trial, to point a finger, to judge him, when he'd felt... well... there must have been something beneath it all...

... but it had been too fucking late, hadn't it?

There's a small, wry smirk of sorts as he approaches Dio. ]

... Nice outfit.

[ ... Which, maybe he doesn't have all that much room to talk? Eh...

He's wearing an outfit similar to his Metaverse attire, minus the mask, and... Well, there are some differences to the clothes themselves.

The jacket, boots, and gloves (which are actually tucked into his jacket pocket right now) are the same. Instead of a shirt that looks like it belongs with said jacket? It's just a plain, white shirt with a... red star in the center.

The pants? Plain ol' black pants with pale gold/red trim, being held up by a white belt. There's a piece of jewelry that's shaped like a green star, attached to the belt buckle (yeah, random green...).

... But, really, this outfit is more about symbolism than it is about matching colors perfectly or even matching fabric/style. He'd been a little... distracted when it was time to think of some flashy, cool outfit that could be made out of what he was wearing at the time. ]

[notgentle]

Right back at you.

[Dio could be accused of a little situational giddiness - but regardless of the precise cause, his eyes do light up at the sight of Akira. Maybe crimeboy isn't so high on his shitlist after all? At the very least, he's left himself no room to judge someone else who was let loose in the dress up game. A shout out to Joey deserves props, really.

He aims a fingergun right at the lapels of that jacket.]

I knew going out of way to give that jacket back to you would pay off.

[beguiledcard]

[ Well, he can certainly say it's nice to get that kind of response... Better than- uh... last time they talked...

He blinks, glances down, and then looks back up at Dio; his head's tilting to the side a bit.


... You know what.

At this point? He's not even surprised by the idea of Dio having wound up with it. So there's a soft chuckle as he rubs at the back of his neck for just a second. ]

Ah... thank you for returning it.

[ BUT... ]

I'm gonna guess there's a story behind it, too.

[ He slides his hands into his jacket pockets, his smile shifting into something warmer and friendlier. Hey... all this aside, he's glad Dio is also getting another chance, here. Everyone's learned a lot from all this... right? ]

... It's nice to see you, again.

[notgentle]

If you fight Noise wearing someone else's clothing, that guy's Psych gets stronger. [The relationship of this fact to "Helena's current coat" is an exercise for the reader.] It's not an easy mission, but someone had to take it on!

[He looks Akira up and down. It's so weird to know that the fate of other worlds is in the hands of this boy who... got a little perspective in the end. Even though that cat Joey likes is too round to pass for the ones Dio had known in his past life. First life? This is all so surreal.]

So I guess I'm glad you didn't get your ass totally crushed in your first ever fight against them, Akira. Sort of. [Sort of glad? Sort of didn't get crushed? It can be both.]