ROLE: Playtime Kitten 🙀

[saturations]

PLAYTIME KITTEN

Today, regardless of wherever Nogiku is, they will soon receive a text message from Riff.

hey. can u come through the arch? i have something for u

They don't really have time to question what arch Riff means as the ground begins to rumble and a steel, blue archway erects before them.

As Nogiku enters through the archway they'll find themselves in what appears to be a small park. Small, grassy slopes seem to stretch endlessly and a few unidentifiable buildings can be scene in the distance. Sitting on a bench under a tree is Riff with their phone in their hand. Without looking up, they send another message.

playtime kitten...ok then

RULES
1. make a choice from the list i give u
2. decide who is receiving what u pick
3. it cant be the same person each week sry
4. cant tell anyone either

After reading the rules, they will find that an image becomes the home screen of their phone and feel something...sticky...appear on their tongue as a temporary tattoo of the same image appears.

Once the brand settles in, Riff looks up from their phone, patiently waiting before there's an awkward shrug and another message.

ill try to help i guess

Comments

[pura]

... Despite wanting nothing to do with them, I was rescued. By Amagasaki-san and Iku Igarashi.

[Skills: Getting kidnapped.]

[saturations]

...even if it's not the way you wanted things to go, I can't say that's exactly terrible.

[but speaking of terrible, they move, shifting on this bench and elbow bumping right into the remains of the bubble for nogiku to get a glimpse of something else.

[you're alone.

the city around you has been engulfed in flames, smoke and destruction. the last of your friends has faded right from your finger tips, her hand reaching out for yours. you can't hold onto her. you can't save her.

you weren't able to save any of them. all of them...gone.

you thought you could do it this time. you thought you could stop the erasure of the place you loved, the people you loved, if only you turned back the clock one more time.

but it didn't work.

behind you, you hear footsteps approaching. a man approaches you, laughing to himself.

"Well, well. And then there was one."

you turn quickly to face him, but there isn't enough time to get away. he looks at you, holding up his fingers with a quick snap, and you feel the source of your power shatter in your pocket.

"Shit..." you say quietly, hand shaking as you hold the pieces of your hope in your palm.

"Oh, you won't be needin' that anymore," the man cackles again, leering down at you. it's just the two of you now, the city ravaged, your friends destroyed.

"The Game's over, kid. And now, so's S̷̡̞̹̬̥͉̪̳͍̜̰̲̜͗̆̕͜͝h̷̨̙̲͊ỉ̸̢̡͖̮͕̣͕͌͑́̚b̶̨͔̺͕̱͎͇͔͈̎̓̏̕ų̶̨̻͚͓̜̫̰͖̲͇̊̃͑̆̅̍͗̏̆̕͠y̵̧͓̩̱̰͕̍̔ą̶̬̘̞̗̫͆͛!"


he holds his arms high to the sky, a tyrant praising his own evildoings. thousands of creatures swirl around you, and you know this is your fault. this was your own doing, something you had a hand in creating.

it's the end. there's nothing you can do.

a beam of white light suddenly appears in the sky, rocketing down to strike the man. the blast sends you flying, tumbling backwards into the rubble as you watch the light tear him apart and purify him. as your vision clears...

...you find yourself perfectly unharmed.

"...what was that?" you ask yourself, and with a start you notice so many people around you. you're standing in the center of several white crosswalks, people going about their business and hardly paying attention to you as you frantically look around. you can't figure out what happened. you stand there, trying to remember, but you're jostled from your thoughts as a man bumps into you. it's a feeling you haven't felt in so long that it startles you. you quickly reach into your pocket for your phone, checking for your messages.

your mother's worried about you. she wants to know what time you're coming home.

"No way..." you whisper to yourself. it becomes clear to you then. you've finally made it home. you're back where you belong, but... "W-wait...hold on a sec..." you look around again, and soon the uneasy, anxious feeling grips your chest. oh no. oh no, oh no, oh no.

"...where's F̴͍̭̦͕͒̾̌́r̸̟̟̽̈́̊͝ȅ̴̠̣̉̚͜͝t̷̮͗́̏? He's gone."

time passes. it's another day, and you're still trying to understand everything that's happened to you. your thoughts are so much louder than the city around you. it's nearly impossible to escape.

'...I'm the only one who made it home. My chat app's back to the way it was before the Game started. Except for the fact that F̴͍̭̦͕͒̾̌́r̸̟̟̽̈́̊͝ȅ̴̠̣̉̚͜͝t̷̮͗́̏ isn't in it. Nobody from school remembers him, and he's missing from my contacts. Same with N̵̺̻̿̔͝ͅa̸̞̜̘̳͋͒͒ģ̴̪̃̋̾ȉ̵̧̺̼͔̑͑ and B̸͉͆͊̑e̸̹͎̟̘̅͐̾̂͑a̷̬͕̖̅̏̌̎̿t̴͔̜͈͉̦̔̂, and N̶̥̓e̴͈͔͌̉́̋̚k̵̛̭͙̿̇̔ư̴͍̣̫̬̦̎̍--everyone. S̷̹̲̣̀̽̓h̵̼͈̦͐͊͊̒͘ǒ̵̼̩̲̟̓k̴̼̥̀ȃ̵̺̳̔̎͝͠, too. Even her alt's gone--like it never existed.'

you feel it more strongly than ever. that guilt. that grief. those nasty little feelings you never wanted to feel, that you thought you could escape if you could fix everything.

'There's thousands of people around me, and yet I'm all alone. I thought that, if i went back in time, I could save the city. And technically I did. Just not the way I wanted to...'

you feel your throat begin to close the longer your thoughts haunt you. your vision begins to blur, and you know you shouldn't cry in public but...who cares anymore? does it even matter? no one else will notice.

you sink to the ground, sitting in the middle with your back against a stone pedestal for a statue of a figure that waits. thousands of people go about their daily lives, unaware of the danger they had once been in, and paying no attention to you at all. the first of your tears drip onto your hands without permission.

'Was everything I did all for nothing?'

life goes on. life in this bustling, colorful city proceeds without a care in the world. but you're the only one left to notice it.

all that's left is a memory, even if the names can't be recalled.]

[pura]

You think that would work?

[But... hmm.]

Tuesday, huh...? I'll keep it in mind. As for the targets... [She thinks.] It feels scummy. But Borel-san and Clarte-san don't seem like the type to take things too far if they suddenly became rivals... That is, if I can choose to make them rivals over enemies.

[pura]

[Ah.

She's silent for a moment. Stunned. When she finally speaks, her voice is quieter than usual. The previous topic left a bitter taste in her mouth, but now— well. Her concern for them trumps over her pettiness.]

... Riff-san?

[Hello...???? What the fuck.]

[saturations]

It's something to think about at least. It doesn't hurt.

...Aymeric's pretty easy-going in most cases. So's Clarte. Those two together wouldn't be terrible, you're right. It'd be a little more simple than someone who gets mad really easily.

[like garou. or damien.]

[saturations]

[the bubble pops, and riff stares out across the park.]

...it's complicated, even if I don't remember a lot of it.

[which is to say they are not thrilled.]

[pura]

They're not the type of people whose egos are easily bruised, either... If it ever comes to light, I'll just apologize.

[Said in the tone of someone who does not plan to say anything about this ever.]

[pura]

...

So, that's the kind of stuff you started remembering.

[Yikes.]

[saturations]

I doubt it will. But if you can handle it, then that's the answer I have for you.

[said in the tone of someone who knows she will never say anything.]

[saturations]

...yeah. Not much else, but...stuff like that. Even if it doesn't make a lot of sense.

W5

[saturations]

TALK TO RIFF

[rindude]

[riff is on the park bench, scrolling through his phone and patiently waiting as usual.]

ITEM SELECTION

[saturations]

[on your phone, you will soon find a new app in the image of a gift box. selecting this app, you will soon be presented with three icons:

A chicken
A game console
A can

Please select one of the following options and three people whom you would like to bestow this item BY TUESDAY, 3PM EST.]

[pura]

[Nogiku plops down on the bench, wearing a yellow scarf looking particularly annoyed today. For their weekly meeting, she's sporting has a lovely pair of cat ears and a tail because I, Kyuu, think it's funny.

But also, just baffled:]

—A chicken?

[rindude]

[nyogiku....it's fine, riff has a few shadows crawling up his neck again so he doesn't mind.]

If it helps, I don't pick what opens you get. [A CHICKEN?] Got another app upgrade for you though. When you want it.

[pura]

I would have shaken you down for information already if I believed that. [Weeks later, she is not any less confused over these icons.] Though, have you heard? People think these items are chosen and sent by the "dreamer."

[Her cat ears twitch in interest as she hands over her phone, though.]

[rindude]

Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. Sorry. [at that news though, he visibly blanches a little like, full-body cringe.]

Seriously? Why?

[but he takes her phone. as usual, he futzes with it before handing it over. her gumball app now shows an icon of a kitten with a little more color added to it. this is only visible to her. if she clicks on it, she will see:

-Blend in while standing out. The more you give, the more you'll get.
-Utilize a color out of your reach once a week to create something new.
-Cast a minor elemental spell under the guise of illusion.
-Double the strength of a color out of your reach once a week to create something new.

she will understand that now her special gumball will allow her the powers from previously, but she can also use a color she isn't in possession of and have it work at twice its strength.

he hands it back afterwards, no less confused about the dreamer.]

[pura]

... I see. I'm sorry. You start remembering things, and it turns out the apocalypse almost happened.

And more importantly...

[She trails off, like. Hm. Riff, your friends???]

[saturations]

...I'm pretty sure it happened twice. I just couldn't change anything after the second try.

[so yeah! great! cool!]

[pura]

[... Hm.]

Because every time something lacks a clear source, I've noticed we go for one of three explanations. The Prism itself, the dreamer, or in the case of those rainbow animals... the dead, apparently.

[She examines her updated gumball app, before tabbing back to the item selection application.]

... Not a fan of the dreamer? Shale-san was worried when I first brought them up, too.

[pura]

[nogiku staring at these choices and trying to figure out which one is less likely to be a weapon or something extremely cursed help

eventually, she will select a chicken! the recipients will be kazunari, percival and vin.]

[saturations]

[When Nogiku makes her choice, the chicken seems to cluck and lay an egg before a message pops up in the app.]

Thank you for your selection! Your recipient will receive their gift shortly.

[rindude]

...I mean I guess I get why, but...that's like settling.

[but he shakes his head.]

It's weird, but...it just doesn't feel good. I don't know what it is, but I don't think it's a good association or anything.

[pura]

Hm... I wonder if you've met them before. And even though you don't remember, some part of you still recognizes them.

[Is this amnesiac PTSD?]

By the way, did you happen to see the note that was pinned to the meeting hall door?

[pura]

...

When we figure things out for ourselves, maybe there will be something we can do for you, too.

[Please save Riff!! The fuck.]